Cathay Pacific pilots push for seat at table for restructuring talks

Pilots at Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways are pushing to be included in restructuring talks at the carrier and will run a newspaper advertisement to drum up public support, a union representing them said Tuesday. The comments come after the group this month declined to apply for more government employment subsidies for its main business units, freeing it from the condition to retain jobs tied to the grants and fuelling worries of layoffs. "What we want is to make sure if there is some sort of decision with regards to the future of the pilots, that we will be involved in discussions on what the structure looks like," said Chris Beebe, the general secretary of the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association (HKAOA). Beebe declined to comment on whether pilots would offer concessions like temporary salary cuts or unpaid leave schemes as have been agreed at other airlines amid crumbling demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many Cathay pilots had already participated in a company-wide voluntary unpaid leave scheme, he said. The union will run an advertisement in the South China Morning Post on Wednesday in its push for a seat at the table for talks on the restructuring plan that is due to be announced in the fourth quarter, Beebe said. The advertisement will highlight HKAOA-commissioned research in which most respondents said they thought the union's 2,200 members were important to the city's global reputation.<br/>