Cathay Pacific General Manager Inflight Services message to cabin crew - Disruptive Actions
He remains confident that our cabin crew will continue to uphold the excellent standard of service that Cathay Pacific is famous for.
Following is the text of Mr Stewart-Cox's message.
Message from GMIS – Disruptive Actions
On Wednesday, the FAU escalated the threat of industrial action by publishing their ‘work-to-rule’ guidelines. It is my responsibility as your GM to ensure that you have all the necessary knowledge with regards to the current situation so that you are able to make good judgements.
The term ‘work-to-rule’ is highly misleading and I am very aware that the disruptive actions being proposed by the FAU place our Cabin Crew in a very difficult position. As a Cathay Pacific Cabin Crew, I am confident that you understand your professional duties, and I would strongly encourage you to ensure that you follow only company approved documents to interpret policy and procedures when performing your tasks and duties. If you would like clarification on any of the policies or procedures outlined in the operations manuals, your Line Managers would be happy to assist you.
I am very disappointed at the threats being posed by the FAU and the unnecessary worry that it may be causing you and thousands of Hong Kong people who have booked holidays over the Chinese New Year period. However, I am confident that there will not be any disruptions to our services and that our Cathay Pacific Cabin Crew will act responsibly and professionally, as you always do. It is our duty, all of us, to ensure that we do everything we can to maintain our services as well as your roster stability. As such, we have robust contingency plans in place to avoid any disruptions.
As your GM, I feel it is my responsibility to look after your well being. As such, I think it is very important that I encourage you to have absolute clarity of your role as outlined in the Cathay Pacific operations manuals and to ensure that you do not inadvertently contravene any policies or procedures that may have a negative impact on our operations.
We all know the importance of teamwork inflight, and any disharmony amongst the team will no doubt cause upset and confusion. We do not want to see this happen and we will do everything we can to support you.
It is also my responsibility to make you aware that any deviation from our documented performance standards, policies and procedures is unacceptable. For example, whilst you are on duty and wearing uniform, you are not permitted to wear non-standard items such as masks and non CX ID badges. You can therefore expect to be asked to remove such items if you are seen to be wearing them.
It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in such unpleasant circumstances and I understand that you may be in a difficult position as a result. That is why I feel it is best to be open and honest with the crew community to provide you with as much clarity as possible.
I am confident that you will continue to uphold the excellent standard of service that Cathay Pacific is famous for. If at any time you feel you need support from the management team, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Line Managers. Thank you for your support.
Yours sincerely,
Charlie Stewart-Cox
General Manager Inflight Services
