Employees expose culture of fear at Hong Kong's flagship airline
During the week, Ricky pilots passenger jets travelling around the world for one of Hong Kong's flagship airlines, Cathay Pacific. But when the weekend arrives, he sheds his pilot cap and blazer in exchange for a face mask and helmet, and goes out to join the anti-government protests which have dominated the semi-autonomous Chinese city over the past four months. Ricky says his double life as a pilot and a protester is exhausting, but he says it's worth the risk to be part of what he sees as a battle to save his city. But recently, Ricky says he has changed his role from a frontline protester to a first aid volunteer. The threat of losing his job loomed large following Cathay's decision to implement stringent new rules outlawing staff from attending any protests deemed "illegal" by authorities. "Fear is spreading," Ricky says. "You can tell the company is being torn apart and starting to break down." Staff morale is at an all-time low, he says. Everybody is paranoid. Cathay Pacific -- an iconic Hong Kong brand -- has come under scrutiny from China after months of protests in the city, which were sparked by a proposed extradition bill with China but have morphed into a broader anti-government movement. In mid-August, Cathay announced they would be adhering to a new directive issued by China's Civil Aviation Administration which banned employees from working on flights in China if they supported "illegal protests." In the same week, several days of protests at Hong Kong's International Airport ended in chaos, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of Cathay flights. Cathay's CEO, Rupert Hogg, and Paul Loo, the CCO stepped down a few days later. On August 28, Cathay Pacific issued a revised version of its employee Code of Conduct, seen by CNN, which includes sections on social media posts, and encourages employees to "speak up" if they see breaches of the code as part of a "whistleblowing" policy. Since then, Cathay staff tell CNN that dozens of people have been fired from the company. Story has more details.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2019-10-01/oneworld/employees-expose-culture-of-fear-at-hong-kongs-flagship-airline
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Employees expose culture of fear at Hong Kong's flagship airline
During the week, Ricky pilots passenger jets travelling around the world for one of Hong Kong's flagship airlines, Cathay Pacific. But when the weekend arrives, he sheds his pilot cap and blazer in exchange for a face mask and helmet, and goes out to join the anti-government protests which have dominated the semi-autonomous Chinese city over the past four months. Ricky says his double life as a pilot and a protester is exhausting, but he says it's worth the risk to be part of what he sees as a battle to save his city. But recently, Ricky says he has changed his role from a frontline protester to a first aid volunteer. The threat of losing his job loomed large following Cathay's decision to implement stringent new rules outlawing staff from attending any protests deemed "illegal" by authorities. "Fear is spreading," Ricky says. "You can tell the company is being torn apart and starting to break down." Staff morale is at an all-time low, he says. Everybody is paranoid. Cathay Pacific -- an iconic Hong Kong brand -- has come under scrutiny from China after months of protests in the city, which were sparked by a proposed extradition bill with China but have morphed into a broader anti-government movement. In mid-August, Cathay announced they would be adhering to a new directive issued by China's Civil Aviation Administration which banned employees from working on flights in China if they supported "illegal protests." In the same week, several days of protests at Hong Kong's International Airport ended in chaos, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of Cathay flights. Cathay's CEO, Rupert Hogg, and Paul Loo, the CCO stepped down a few days later. On August 28, Cathay Pacific issued a revised version of its employee Code of Conduct, seen by CNN, which includes sections on social media posts, and encourages employees to "speak up" if they see breaches of the code as part of a "whistleblowing" policy. Since then, Cathay staff tell CNN that dozens of people have been fired from the company. Story has more details.<br/>
