It is rumored that Cathay Pacific layoffs front-line flight attendants: basic salary reduced to 7000 yuan, colleagues change from perplexity to find a way out

Special interview

Written by: Kwong Yueting and Di Ziqian

2020-10-04 16:45

Last update date: 2020-10-04 16:51

Cathay Pacific Airways (0293), which has decided not to apply for the second phase of the "Ensure Employment" program, is overwhelmed by layoffs.

According to the latest news, Cathay Pacific will start "distributing large envelopes" on Monday (5th), involving 700 pilots and 400 Cathay City employees. It also stated that it may cut 1,500 flight attendants.

In response to media enquiries, Cathay Pacific pointed out that it would not comment on various speculations and rumors in the market.

As one of the largest employers in Hong Kong, if Cathay Pacific lays off its employees on a large scale, it will cause widespread social response.

A Cathay Pacific flight attendant told "Hong Kong 01" that before receiving the notice of layoffs, he was mentally prepared and "decided a way forward" for himself. In the future, he will no longer engage in the aviation industry or switch to other more stable industries. .

The news of Cathay Pacific's layoffs has not yet been officially confirmed, but Cathay Pacific flight attendants have indicated to "Hong Kong 01" that they are psychologically prepared for the layoffs.

Lydia, who has been serving as a Cathay Pacific flight attendant for several years, said that when the company sent an email to employees saying that it would not apply for the second round of the employment guarantee plan, colleagues have estimated that about a quarter of all classes of cabin crew members would need to be laid off.

Cathay Pacific announced earlier that its subsidiaries Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon will not apply for the second round of employment protection program.

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Forced to cut wages, some employees are indifferent

The epidemic has hit the global aviation industry. In order to reduce expenditure, Cathay Pacific launched a "Special Leave Scheme" (SLS) as early as early February this year, which is a "no pay leave" arrangement.

Lydia also participated in the plan. She admitted that since the company asked everyone to voluntarily reduce their salaries, many colleagues have felt disappointed. She also pointed out that in recent months, the company has repeatedly reported about speculation. The road" left has been found.

Lydia also pointed out that close to the suspension of flights for half a year and participation in the salary reduction plan, income will be greatly affected.

She admitted that no matter whether she is on the layoff list or not, she would not consider continuing to serve as a flight attendant, because it is estimated that her salary will only get worse in the future. She also believes that many BC (Basic cabin crew) colleagues will leave, but those above FP (Flight Purser) Rank or tendency to advance and retreat with the company.

Cathay Pacific launched two rounds of three-week voluntary unpaid leave (SLS) this year. Chief Executive Deng Jianrong once revealed that 80% of eligible employees applied in the first round and 90% of employees applied in the second round.

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In fact, the basic cabin crew salary at the beginning of the job is about 9,000 yuan, and based on the minimum 70 hours of work, the hourly salary is about 130 yuan.

The average flight attendant's monthly "flying hours" can reach 80 to 90 hours, that is, the monthly income is about 13,000 to 14,000 yuan.

However, under the salary reduction arrangement of the "Special Holiday Plan", the basic cabin crew salary has been reduced to about 7,000 yuan, which is almost half of the usual normal service salary.

Lydia believes that the 39 billion yuan restructuring plan can always stop the bleeding for Cathay Pacific for a short time. She also believes that the company's financial situation is not too bad, and that "the freight business is still profitable." She believes that Cathay Pacific's prospects are not too pessimistic. The scale of an airline is comparable to that of the United States and Thailand. Even if a lot of new blood has been cut, I believe that many new people will join after the "Rain After the Rain". "A lot of people still have "Fantasy" for this job."

Some Cathay Pacific flight attendants hope that the company will fulfill its social responsibilities and not mass layoffs.

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Frontline employees expect 3 types of people to be "high-risk"

There is news that Cathay Pacific is about to lay off employees. Victoria, the current Cathay flight attendant, estimates that the company will target contract employees, employees who are about to retire within 3 years, and employees who have been employed for less than 3 years. She admitted that as a frontline employee, she does not want the company to speculate people, but the company has since 2 Since the beginning of the month, the number of flights has been greatly reduced. "If you drag it to Yijia to fire people first, it will be too patience." So Cathay Pacific layoffs are understandable, but it is hoped that the company can fulfill corresponding social responsibilities because of the government's capital injection and avoid massive layoffs.

Even if Cathay Pacific is in trouble, Victoria and her colleagues do not plan to resign. "If you fire people, I might be fired, but in fact, you can keep it low and you can be fired." She added that the flight attendant salary is based on the basic salary and allowance. Composition, even if the flight is grounded, the company will "take out the basic salary", which is enough for her to meet her daily needs. In addition, Hong Kong's economy is deteriorating, and it is not easy to change careers.

"In order to help make a living, no colleagues around me have done "Secret Fishing" (you can report to the company) or open an IG shop." However, Victoria admitted that she did not find a part-time job because of Cathay Pacific's recent Postpone the announcement date of the revision from the middle of the month to the 25th and 26th. This arrangement made her postpone the number of part-time jobs, or she could only choose to report part-time jobs once a week.

Before the epidemic, flight attendants were an ideal career for many people. Victoria felt that after the epidemic ended, many people were still willing to join the industry. At that time, flight attendants did not have to worry about losing their jobs, but the biggest problem is that the current epidemic continues to repeat, and I believe it will take a long time. Time, even after people are vaccinated, can the aviation industry recover, and Cathay Pacific can restart recruitment.

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