Cathay Pacific whistle-blowing policy urging staff to ‘speak up’ under spotlight as Hong Kong employees fear possible reprisals for support of anti-government protests
- Policy, updated in May 2019, tells staff to report anonymously if they suspect a breach of code of conduct or the law, or have concerns about serious wrongdoing
- Company says recent firings not taken ‘lightly’ and involve senior leadership decision in the best interest of the firm
Cathay Pacific Airways has reminded its staff about its policy to speak up and act as “whistle-blowers” as a climate of fear grows among the airline’s employees about possible reprisals for their activities on social media.
Stressing the company’s commitment to maintaining a compliance culture, the airline’s senior management reminded its staff that they can report confidentially “if you suspect there has been a breach of the code, the law, or have concerns about serious wrongdoing”.
The company’s code on confidential disclosures said: “We have a strong commitment to building and maintaining a culture of compliance, and you are encouraged to ‘speak up’ via the whistle-blowing policy/procedure if you suspect there has been a breach.”
The entire code covers a spectrum of policies, from respecting colleagues in the workplace, health and safety to anti-bribery measures.
It was feared the policy could encourage staff to report on colleagues, rather than protecting employees who feel they are being unfairly targeted from repercussions.
The airline’s whistle-blower policy was introduced in 2016, part of an older version of the code dated May this year. The text of the May version and later versions both encouraged staff to speak up if they believed colleagues had broken the law or had concerns about wrongdoing; and to flag concerns over breaches of the company’s code of conduct.
The revised code of conduct added a new section on political activities, which barred staff from using company resources to express political opinions, and which stipulated that should staff seek permission to take part in protests, and should not wear uniform while doing so and should not give the impression the company has endorsed the protest.
It also outlined – as staff were previously warned last week – that taking part in illegal political activities was unacceptable, and could ultimately result in an investigation and dismissal from the firm.
Tom Owen, the airline’s human resources chief, told staff in a memo on Thursday that any dismissals it had made were the “result of a careful and formal review process involving senior leadership.”
“We do not take any of these decisions lightly and for every decision we make, we believe it is in the best interest of the Cathay Pacific Group, taking into account all the relevant factors,” Owen added.
One highlight of the code of conduct changes, Owen said, was that staff taking part in activities that brought the company into disrepute, which “impair the Company’s ability to meet any applicable legal or regulatory requirements, may attract disciplinary consequences including termination of employment”.
The point was a reference in particular to the company submitting names of staff to Chinese authorities for pre-approval before flights entering or overflying China. Any employees rejected faced wider problems as it would prevent them from operating flights to mainland China, Europe and North America – a large chunk of Cathay’s business – making it difficult for them to be scheduled to work on a select number of flights only.
Staff are fearful of colleagues engaging in a draconian internal witch hunt to spy on and punish staff who have supported anti-government protests. Hong Kong’s biggest airline is also investigating the tampering of oxygen bottles on two of its flights recently, amid calls to disrupt the company’s operations as a form of non-cooperation.
As of Wednesday, at least 20 aviation professionals, including one engineer, had been sacked or had resigned after Beijing exerted pressure on companies to crack down on the anti-government movement sweeping the city.
The airline said in the memo that it would investigate “any” concerns through the whistle-blowing procedure and would take “appropriate follow-up action” it deemed “necessary and appropriate”.
It would extend protection to whistle-blowers against any retaliation.
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The whistle-blowing and social media advice came in the form of an update of the code of conduct on the company’s intranet on Wednesday, which caught the attention of staff and sparked concerns it was a revised policy.
A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said the whistle-blowing policy was not a newly added item to its code of conduct – which outlined how it expected its employees to behave and outlined commitments detailing the highest level of integrity, ethics, flight safety and quality at all times.
“We are committed to creating an environment in which our colleagues are encouraged and protected to share any potential risk about safety and security.
“The Cathay Pacific Group is committed to making ethical decisions on issues that affect our employees, customers, partners, community and the general public. The code will be reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to reflect the highest standards,” the company said.
The way the company is soliciting confidential information draws some parallels with how it is thought Rebecca Sy On-na, a Cathay Dragon flight attendant and union leader, was ousted from her job after 17 years at the airline.
Last week, the company also warned that staff’s social media postings would be heavily scrutinised, adding that those expressing support for illegal anti-government protests in Hong Kong could fall foul of a strict new policy being forced on the airline by mainland China’s aviation authority.
Cathay Pacific investigating rumours of anonymous letter from staff reiterating support for protests
Reiterating the airline’s stance on social media, the company reminded staff in its latest memo to be mindful of what they posted.
“You are accountable for what is posted into the public domain from your personal social media account,” the notice said, emphasising staff could not post anything that would bring the company into disrepute, interfere with the privacy of other staff or act as an endorsement from the airline.
The Post understands that managers have sat down with employees in recent weeks to discuss the social media policy. In the current climate, fearful employees are shutting down their Facebook and Instagram accounts.
One long-time staffer said of the new whistle-blower reminder: “There hasn’t been anything like this before.”
“Never heard of this in all my years at Cathay,” another employee of almost two decades said.
The airline is also carrying out an internal investigation into two flights that arrived in Toronto on August 17 and 18. Oxygen canisters for staff on board each flight were partly or fully deflated. The devices are used by crew in emergency depressurisation situations.
Opinion: Cathay Pacific is just the start; tycoons will have to pick a side in Hong Kong’s protest crisis
Staff conduct has come under the spotlight as the airline bears the brunt of pressure from Beijing exerted on Hong Kong businesses over the city’s anti-government protests.
China’s aviation regulator issued a safety warning against the airline early this month and barred Cathay staff who supported or were involved in the unrest from entering Chinese airspace.
The furore culminated in the resignation of CEO Rupert Hogg and one of his deputies, Paul Loo Kar-pui – and since then several frontline staff have been dismissed. The company has also offered repeated public backing for the Hong Kong government.
