Goodwill may come at a price - but the cost of getting a pilot to work on his guaranteed day off, known as a G day, is lower for Cathay Pacific than calling in a pilot on standby, according to the union.

Pilots are entitled to 10 contractual G days a month but can trade them at a rate of 2.5 percent of their monthly salary if they agree to work on days off at the airline's request.

According to a circular sent out to AOA members by the union, it is cheaper for the airline to compensate a pilot for working on his G day than it is to call out someone on standby who is on the cusp of receiving overtime pay which is paid at higher rates.

Pilots are told in the circular: "It is highly likely that when you receive a message from crew control requesting you to 'help out' on your G day, it is because they are avoiding the payment of overtime to someone currently on standby.

"Crew control are just doing their job by crewing as cost-effectively and efficiently as possible. They need your complicity in this never-ending juggle by getting you to work on your G days.

"Consequently when it is your turn to receive overtime pay they will need someone else to help them bypass your payment by requesting him to work on his G days instead."

A work-to-rule would see participating pilots refusing to work on G days, forcing crew control to call in pilots on stand-by or non-union pilots on G days when extra cockpit crew are needed.

Simon Parry

(HK Edition 11/03/2010 page4)