Meetings to tempt Cathay Pacific pilots to switch jobs cancelled

A recruitment agency that sought to lure 200 Cathay Pacific Airways pilots into new jobs with mainland Chinese airlines cancelled a hiring event scheduled for Tuesday, after the government warned its approaches could be illegal. Longreach Aviation, an Australia- and Hong Kong-based company hiring for state-owned and private Chinese airlines, pulled the plug following “legal advice”. The recruiter had intended to capitalise on a plan by loss-making Cathay Pacific to cut salaries and benefits, and hire its pilots to help meet huge demand for foreign pilots on the mainland. To do so, it planned a series of “roadshow” meetings with prospective recruits this week.<br/>But on Monday evening it cancelled the events. “We regret to advise you that, due to circumstances beyond our control, the roadshows on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have had to be cancelled,” the recruiter wrote in an email to pilots. “We have received legal advice today and unfortunately we are unable to proceed with the events as planned.” The first of the meetings, planned for Tuesday, was considered a breach of Labour Department laws, according to a person familiar with the matter, prompting the sudden cancellation on Monday evening. Another source said the department had threatened the company with a fine if it went ahead with the event.<br/>