Pilots Aiding Their Forcibly-Quarantined Comrades During "Oppressive" Hong Kong Lockdowns 

Cathay Pacific pilots have been recognized by the IFALPA for their support of fellow Hong Kong-based employees subjected to forced, government run, mandatory quarantine upon entry into the country.

The natural conditions of work for airline crew have resulted in a near perennial isolation, with a number of pilots and their families included due to their close proximity. IFALPA brought attention to the support rendered by the Cathay employee family, saying they “provided countless care packages, food, essential appliances, and other necessities to their quarantining colleagues.” 

Hong Kong, on December 6, once again revisited its entry requirements, requiring all airline passengers/crew to provide a negative COVID-19 viral test taken within 1 calendar day of travel. Those Hong Kong residents, even those vaccinated and testing negative for the virus, must stay in a Designated Quarantine Hotel for no less than 21 nights upon arrival in the city. During their stay, (or, in harsher terms, imprisonment) they must undergo 6 compulsory tests for viral presence. Owing to the natural airline employee course of work, Cathay personnel are often subjected to continuous quarantine.  As a result, some pilots have spent the majority of the last year in a state of solitary confinement, many spending more than 150 days in isolation. 

The situation has led to many eyeing the exits, as they lose faith of an imminent - or even eventual- end to the regulations. In an interview with the BBC, one Cathay pilot said that many of his friends are planning to apply for stress leave due to the accumulated mental strain, while they plan to jump ship for freer waters. “It’s almost a certainty...I’m leaving without an actual job and just resigning,” he said. “I would say, probably, 80% of those that I fly with are actively looking for work elsewhere, it’s all we talk about.” 

IFALPA feels solidarity with them for their treatment. “These extraordinary pilots are acting selflessly at a time when their own situation is enormously challenging. The Cathay Pacific pilot group and their representative Association, the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, have been subjected to extreme management hostility and a toxic work environment,” said Captain Jack Netskar, IFALPA President.

The group takes issue with Cathay Pacific's complicity in the treatment of its employees, saying "...management has unilaterally terminated the Associations’ Recognition and Good Faith Bargaining agreements and imposed what is essentially a “sign or be fired” concessionary agreement upon them. Management continues to impose egregious working and isolation conditions on their pilots and refuses to acknowledge the negative impacts on the mental and physical health of their crews." 

FMI: http://cathaypacific.com/