Cathay Pacific Airways conceded a key demand in a dispute with flight attendants over a controversial new medical plan, but the union yesterday refused to rule out a crippling Christmas strike.
The Hong Kong carrier's cabin crew are threatening to walk out over a new medical insurance policy which for the first time insists they pay for doctor visits.
The company said late on Monday it would now allow its 10,000 staff and their dependents 10 free visits before they have to begin paying. The allowance would only apply next year, the first year of the new scheme.
But despite the changes, Becky Kwan, chairman of the Flight Attendants Union (FAU), said they would continue with a planned protest tomorrow, aiming to eclipse the 500 cabin crew that marched earlier this month.
"We are encouraged by the concessions made after the show of solidarity of our members," she said.
"However, it is clear to us that there is no need or justification to introduce any charges for doctors visits," she added.
Kwan said she would assess the turnout at tomorrow's rally to see if support for any future action is solid.
A spokeswoman for Cathay Pacific said they thought the new scheme was "one of the best staff medical plans available in Hong Kong."
"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," the statement said.
Hong Kong is a key hub for Cathay, with more than 100 flights daily across the world. Any strike would be the first by cabin staff in more than 15 years.
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The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’: Donald Trump vowed to reward his supporters, while President William Lai said he was confident the Taiwan-US partnership would continue Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the US early yesterday morning, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. As of press time last night, The Associated Press had Trump on 277 electoral college votes to 224 for US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee, with Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Michigan and Nevada yet to finalize results. He had 71,289,216 votes nationwide, or 51 percent, while Harris had 66,360,324 (47.5 percent). “We’ve been through so
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