Cathay Pacific has warned staff they risk being sacked if they join a planned Hong Kongstrike, as the airline intensifies its crackdown on employee support for the rolling pro-democracy protests.

Hong Kong’s flagship carrier… has been accused of bowing to political pressure from China, whose aviation regulator has banned airline staff who have supported the demonstrations from working on flights through its airspace.

In an internal memo to staff, a Cathay director, Tom Owen, said participating in a strike planned for Monday and Tuesday could constitute a breach of contract. “We expect all of our employees to report for work as normal and over this period and will be monitoring attendance levels closely,” he said in the memo… “Any breach of policy or regulatory requirements will be investigated and may lead to termination of contract.”

The memo caps a sharp U-turn by the airline which publicly supported the right to free expression of its workforce earlier this month, only to crumble in the face of pressure from Beijing…

Several staff have told AFP they believe a witchhunt is underway, with employees frantically deleting social media posts and gutting their friends lists fearing disciplinary action if they are found to have any links with the protests.

The company has also issued a revised code of conduct to employees including reiterating its “zero tolerance” approach to staff participating in “illegal protests”.

Protest groups are calling for a general strike on Monday and Tuesday, three months into escalating pro-democracy protests that have rocked the city and damaged Hong Kong’s reputation as a stable business hub…