Cathay crew will not strike over Xmas but may not serve booze

Agents can continue booking Cathay with ease after the airline’s cabin crew union confirmed it will not stage strikes during the Christmas and New Year period.

The airline and its 6,000-strong Flight Attendant’s Union (FAU) have been in conflict over salary, with the union requesting a five percent salary increment for 2013 over the two percent Cathay has offered.

This week crew voted against holiday strikes, a decision the airline’s chief executive John Slosar says is good news for passengers, its staff and the Hong Kong travelling public.

Despite the agreement to keep the peace over Christmas, crew are said to be considering other forms of action including the introduction of a “work-to-rule” measure, The Herald Sun reported.

According the union’s general secretary Tsang Kwok-fung, its members will be selective in which services they provide and passengers may find themselves denied certain beverages while flying, including alcohol.

Smiles are another service that may be withheld as well as meals.

"In a nutshell it means passengers will still be able to reach their destinations except they are paying a five-star price to get a three-star service," Mr Tsang said.

Cathay says it wrote to the FAU last week calling on more talks but is yet to receive a response.

“We are still waiting to hear from them and hope we will soon,” Cathay cabin crew general manager Liza Ng added.

Sourced: etravelblackboardasia