Cathay Pacific announces medical plan changes

The adjustment allows 10 free visits to doctors for 10,000 Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific staff and their dependents before triggering the need for any co-payment from them.

This means that an eligible family of four, for example, would be entitled to up to 40 free doctors or specialists visits next year before they needed to make any contribution to the scheme.

The 10 free visits will apply throughout 2008.  In the meantime a Working Group comprising management and staff representatives will review all elements of the scheme, including co-pay.

The new arrangements reflect a suggestion put forward by the FAU at meetings last week mediated by the Labour Department. They are also also in line with suggestions from other staff representatives.

The co-pay element of the greatly-enhanced RightChoice 2008, as the scheme is known, involves a user payment of $30 for a GP visit and  $50 for a specialist consultation for the most junior staff, including cabin crew, and $50 and $100 for more senior staff.

Cathay Pacific representatives went to the Labour Department today for a scheduled meeting with the FAU, but the union’s representatives failed to attend.

This was deeply disappointing as the company had intended to inform the FAU that it had decided to agree to the union’s suggestion as a way of resolving the issue.

In view of public anxiety about possible disruption to their year-end travel plans, and the need to inform the rest of Cathay Pacific’s employees covered by the scheme, the company had no choice but to announce the new arrangements.

We believe RightChoice 2008 is one of the best staff medical plans available in Hong Kong. It is even more generous now that the issue of co-pay has been addressed. It comes in the wake of the company's recent decision to offer a 4-5 per cent average pay rise to most staff next year.

Cathay Pacific urges the FAU to take into account the concerns of the public and our customers and their fellow employees  at this busy time.

We also encourage our staff provide their customary professional and admirable service to the many thousands of people in Hong Kong and around the world who are flying Cathay Pacific over the holiday period.

The company also wishes to express its gratitude to the Labour Department and its officers who worked tirelessly to bring about a mutually acceptable outcome to the talks which were held last Thursday and Friday.

Notwithstanding the disappointment at the union not attending today’s meeting, we have offered to meet the FAU Chairman, Ms Becky Kwan, on 11 January 2008 to discuss any matters she may wish to raise.