Cathay mulling to fire unvaxxed staff members

Cathay Pacific said it is working on a “small number” of staffers who are not vaccinated amid speculations that they could be fired.

Starting September 1, all crew members serving on board will be vaccinated.

According to crew members, Cathay's Inflight Services Department has asked members who have yet to report their vaccination status to do so. If staffers cannot prove that they have received Covid-19 vaccine or provide valid reasons for not getting the jabs, Cathay will terminate their employment contracts.

When replying to media, Cathay said they are following up on “the small number of cases individually”.

“We continue to review the future employment of those who are not vaccinated and assess whether they can continue to be employed as aircrew with Cathay Pacific,” it also said.

The airline added consideration has been given to those who are unable to get vaccinated for valid medical reasons, or are on long-term leave, which accounts for the majority of aircrew who have not yet fulfilled the vaccination requirement.

Cathay stressed they have a high vaccination rates, saying 93 percent of their Hong Kong-based employees, including 99 percent of pilots and 93 percent of cabin crew, have already booked or received their vaccinations.