Cathay Pacific-cabin crew meeting at Labour Department results in zero concessions, as union legal action looms

Unionised cabin crew at Cathay Pacific failed to secure any concessions from the loss-making airline after a 3½-hour meeting at Hong Kong’s Labour Department office on Wednesday. The Flight Attendants Union (FAU) will now proceed with legal action to secure a better deal for the minority of 8,000 in-flight workers who refused to sign new, cheaper employment contracts by the morning deadline. The meeting was the first time the Labour Department had mediated a sit-down between Cathay and FAU representatives since the flagship carrier announced 5,900 redundancies two weeks ago, and set the clock for remaining cabin and cockpit crew to accept new contracts or face the sack. In a bid to bolster the unionised workforce, the city’s pilots and cabin crew unions – both under intense pressure from the airline’s restructuring – signed a landmark agreement later on Wednesday to work more closely and pool resources. Tad Hazelton, chairman of the 2,200-member Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association (HKAOA), said: “It’s a historical moment now that the two groups, because of our common circumstances, are going to go forward together from here on out, working on not just these circumstances, but any circumstances that face us in the future.” Chris Beebe, the group’s general secretary, said full details of the scope of the union’s joint efforts had yet to be fully worked out, but a comprehensive plan would be put together.<br/>