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Article

29 Aug 2019

Author:
Kris Cheng, Hong Kong Free Press

Hong Kong airline Cathay Dragon fires flight attendant union chief amid pressure from China

Airline Cathay Dragon has fired the chair of its flight attendant union Rebecca Sy after she allegedly posted messages of support for Hong Kong protesters on Facebook...

At a… press conference, Sy said she had been able to fly to Beijing and back to Hong Kong… However, she was told not to work on a scheduled Hangzhou trip after the Beijing flight. She said she was told to go to Cathay Pacific’s headquarters… and was shown three Facebook screenshots which she confirmed were hers. She was then immediately terminated…

Carol Ng, chair of the Confederation of Trade Unions, said the aviation industry was likely targeted because it had the highest participation rate in the August 5 strike…

Cathay Pacific, the parent company of Cathay Dragon, declined to comment on internal employee matters.

In a new statement issued… Cathay Pacific Director Corporate Affairs James Tong said: “Cathay Pacific wishes to emphasise it fully supports the upholding of the Basic Law and all the rights and freedoms afforded by it.” “We are a leading international airline with global operations and therefore we are required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where we operate,” it added…

Cathay Pacific has faced pressure from China as the CAAC imposed new safety rules on the airline… forcing the carrier to prevent employees supportive of the Hong Kong protests to board flights to, or passing over, China.

… Cathay Pacific released a statement saying Sy’s dismissal had nothing to do with her activities in the union but declined to elaborate further on the reason for her departure. “We would like to reiterate that we do not in any way discriminate against union members or their activities…” it read…

 

Part of the following timelines

Hong Kong: Business actions and statements over controversial extradition bill

Hong Kong: Concerns raised over Cathay Pacific’s responsibility to respect employees’ rights amidst ongoing protests

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