Employee
In our case, the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Union (FAU) did not satisfy with a new policy that required them to work at least 70 hours a month before they could swap shifts with colleagues and they thought this new policy had hurt their pay and lifestyle. Pay and benefits is one of the factors that affect job satisfaction of the employees and it is perhaps one of the most rewards employees would like to get in order to support their lives. So when the flight attendants union alerted that their usual benefits gain from the job has changed, they immediately voiced their concern and bargained with the employer to protect their rights.
Moreover, the flight attendants viewed the new decision as the company’s measure to withdraw their benefits that they are entitled to receive, which are claimed to be clearly stated in the labor contract with Cathay Pacific. They argued to the employer that this action was illegal as the company did not communicate this decision with them beforehand. This can be explained by the principles of justice of the employees which consists of outcome fairness, procedural justice and interactional justice. In our case, interactional justice can be applied. A perception of interactional justice is a judgment that the organization carried out its actions in a way that took the employee’s feelings into account. It includes the explanation of decision to the employees, respectful treatment, consideration and empathy. Referring to our case, the employer did not notice the employees before the implementation of the new policy which made the employees think the company did not concern their opinion. As their feelings are being ignored by the employer, the flight attendants union strongly opposed this new policy and caused conflict with the employer. Through this case, we discover that conflicts cannot be avoided in the workplace since the management goals and labor union goals are always opposite. The management aims to