Cathay Pacific Layoffs｜Will it be on the list? The current flight attendant sighs that she can only "resign fate"

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Written by: Tang Jiaqi

2020-10-21 09:22

Last update date: 2020-10-21 09:24

Cathay Pacific announced its restructuring plan on Wednesday (21st) morning, cutting 8,500 positions.

Among the 8,500 positions, about 5,300 employees in Hong Kong will be laid off in the next few weeks.

Dragonair ceased operations today.

Cathay Pacific experienced high-level salary cuts, voluntary unpaid leave plans for employees, and government capital injections in the first half of the year, and then announced that it would give up applying for the government's second round of employment protection programs to avoid the conditions attached to government funding. It has been accused of paving the way for layoffs.

A crew member who has served Cathay Pacific for 8 years bluntly said that the company’s situation has been quite "turbulent" in recent years, and there have been restructuring actions from time to time. The layoffs are also expected. In addition, since the beginning of the epidemic, many colleagues have rarely had the opportunity to work. He has even "decided the way forward."

There is speculation among colleagues whether it will be a "fate"

Wu Miner, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Trade Unions, said in early September that Cathay Pacific and Dragonair require department heads to hand over the number of employees and the list of layoffs.

Doris has served as a Cathay Pacific crew member for 8 years and has experienced many reorganizations involving layoffs, but there was no crew member in the previous round of layoffs.

She pointed out that since the company announced that it would not apply for the second round of the government's supplementary employment subsidy program, colleagues began to speculate that the company might start layoffs in October. Everyone has already "resigned" to "awareness."

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

(Data Picture/Photo by Lin Ruoqin)

The government’s supplementary employment allowance requires employers who have applied for a promise that they will not lay off workers. Cathay Pacific applied for the plan in June and was the fourth batch of employers to receive wage subsidies. Together with catering and service companies, Cathay Pacific received at least more than 500 million allowances. Together with Dragonair and other subsidiaries related to the main business, Cathay Pacific received a total of more than 650 million subsidies, and promised to pay at least 22,500 people.

When news broke that Cathay Pacific did not apply for the second round of supplementary employment allowances, many people estimated that Cathay Pacific announced layoffs in October as soon as possible.

It is not uncommon for flights to be cut off due to the epidemic

Looking back on the past period of time, Doris described the company as “always turbulent” and the situation is not stable. Therefore, colleagues resign from time to time. The turnover rate has always been high. Moreover, it is well known that the aviation industry has had difficulties in business during the epidemic and the situation is severe. It has long been speculated that there will be structural changes.

She mentioned that since the beginning of the epidemic, there have been more and more "Stand by" events, that is, the company requires crew members to go to work before notifying. As far as she knows, crew members usually fly to the United Kingdom and the United States, and there have been frequent flights between Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. It has already been greatly reduced: "I have heard that a colleague may have started 3 or 4 jobs after the epidemic, but all of my colleagues have not started work. Maybe they will not return to work at Yijia in February and March." In addition, many colleagues have stayed without pay.

Have a basic salary and need to work part-time

If you don’t have a job, you have to find a way to make ends meet. Doris lamented that many colleagues have family burdens, they have to support their wives and children, or they have to provide mortgages. Only receiving a basic salary is too far from the previous income. Some people will do it for short-term living expenses. Part-time jobs, such as food delivery, store management or other sales work.

Most people understand the company's situation, so they feel even more helpless: "They are all so passive. At the same time, they know that the company is so severe. If there is no layoffs and the income and expenses are not balanced, they may not be able to support the fall."

Worry about the economic downturn

I have been prepared for a long time, but I face the possibility of being laid off. In the economic environment that has not retreated under the epidemic, it is inevitable to worry about the boundless future.

If Doris is worried about being laid off, it will be difficult to find the next job soon, and the vacuum period may be longer: "(The company) arranges the same compensation and can be sympathetic to the employees. I will make my mind."

Being able to travel around the world while working is why many people look forward to flight attendants.

(Profile Picture / Photo by Jiang Zhiqian)

It is not yet known whether he is on the list of layoffs. Apart from being uneasy and worried about the prospects, of course there is also a disappointment.

Being able to travel around the world while working is the reason why many people look forward to being a flight attendant. Doris said that many colleagues become flight attendants because they like this kind of free working mode and think it is difficult to have similar jobs. Bringing this model to them, this kind of freedom, may be the one thing she is most reluctant to bear in this industry.

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