<p>In the eyes of most people, the aviation industry only brings to mind pilots, flight attendants, and ground staff, but there are also many essential support positions behind the scenes, such as cutlery packaging and bedding handling. In an interview with Sing Tao Daily, Cathay Pacific Airways (293) General Manager of Corporate Affairs, Huang Wenjie, stated that the group has been deeply rooted in Hong Kong for 80 years. In addition to promoting youth development, sports, and cultural projects, it also continuously pays attention to the needs of disadvantaged communities and collaborates with various non-profit organizations to employ women and people with disabilities, among other community members, to provide cutlery packaging, as well as bedding, towels, and napkin packaging services for Cathay Pacific flights.</p>
<p>On the day of the interview, reporters entered a workshop in Tung Chung, where the sound of machines was incessant. After disinfection, some employees stood to remove defective products, while others were on the assembly line packaging napkins and cutlery, which has been the daily scene of Cathay Pacific's collaboration with the Sunshine Social Enterprise for over ten years.</p>
<h2>4-Hour Flexible Shifts to Balance Family</h2>
<p>The Sunshine Social Enterprise, established in 2008, is a social enterprise directly under the Islands Women's Federation, providing cutlery packaging services for Cathay Pacific since 2009. Wu Shaoquan, manager of the Sunshine Social Enterprise, stated that after the cleaned cutlery arrives at the workshop, it is first sorted, then each piece is inspected for quality, and finally placed on the assembly line for packaging.</p>
<p>The team has now grown to 70 employees, almost all of whom are local residents of Tung Chung, primarily housewives, retirees, and new immigrants. With the completion of new housing estates, the age demographic of the workshop employees has gradually changed. Wu Shaoquan mentioned that previously, most employees were retirees, with an average age between 40 and 60 years, but now many young mothers have joined, with the youngest in their 20s and the oldest being 68 years old. To accommodate family needs, they have specifically set up shifts of 4 hours each, divided into morning and afternoon shifts, allowing women who need to care for their families to earn money while also taking care of children or the elderly.</p>
<p>He Qiaoyi, who has worked in the workshop for two years, is the production team leader at the Sunshine Social Enterprise. After getting married in 2018, she was unable to work due to her young child, and later faced economic pressure during the pandemic, which all fell on her husband. However, as her husband faced salary cuts, life became even more challenging. It wasn't until 2023, when her daughter started primary school, that she was able to return to work. However, most positions outside required at least 6 hours of work daily, making it difficult to balance family responsibilities. By chance, she saw a recruitment flyer for the Sunshine Social Enterprise from the Islands Women's Federation, and the flexible working hours perfectly matched her needs, so she applied for the position.</p>
<h2>Continuous Machine Operation with High Physical Demands</h2>
<p>Subsequently, the reporter entered the operational area of the Sunshine Social Enterprise's factory. In the first work area, employees stood throughout the process, focused on sorting cutlery. Wu Shaoquan explained on-site that in this step, employees need to classify knives, forks, and spoons, and carefully check whether they are thoroughly cleaned. Occasionally, if there are watermarks or residual stains, defective items are immediately removed; qualified cutlery is then placed into different boxes according to category.</p>
<p>The second work area is the packaging area on the assembly line, where each production line typically consists of 4 people, responsible for placing 5 items: napkins, wet wipes, knives, forks, and spoons. However, once the machine starts, the entire line cannot stop. He admitted that sitting down brings pressure; the machine does not stop, and if they cannot keep up with the rhythm, it will slow down the entire line. Currently, it is set to package 31 bags per minute, and if it is a simpler style, it can be adjusted to go faster
He pointed out that currently, an average of over 60,000 sets of cutlery are processed daily, with each standard set containing at least 3 pieces of cutlery, totaling over 180,000 pieces. During holidays such as Christmas and Lunar New Year, with increased flights and demand, the number can reach 70,000 to 80,000 sets in a single day. Therefore, employees not only need to maintain focus amidst the sounds of machines, metal collisions, and voices, but also have high physical and hand coordination requirements.</p>
<h2>Supporting People with Disabilities by Allocating Positions According to Ability</h2>
<p>In addition to cutlery, the demand for cabin supplies has also surged with the recovery of the aviation industry, and the staff at Cathay's affiliated laundry service &#34;Yajie Laundry&#34; has also become strained. Since 2022, Yajie Laundry has collaborated with the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council to check, fold, and package bedding for Cathay. Initially, they managed only over 300 pieces of bedding per month, but now they handle over 30,000 pieces of bedding, 30,000 blankets, and 10,000 napkins each month.</p>
<p>The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui's Kang'en Garden is a comprehensive rehabilitation center serving individuals with mental recovery, intellectual disabilities, and physical disabilities. Yuen Yuk-chen, the service director of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, stated that the organization first assesses each member's abilities to understand their strengths and limitations, then provides targeted training and arranges suitable positions based on the needs of different jobs. For example, members with autism often possess keen observational skills, so they are assigned to quality inspection, where even the smallest stains or threads are hard to escape their notice; for tasks like bagging bedding, members are paired in groups of two to improve efficiency and provide more opportunities for interaction. Currently, the training center has 190 students, about half of whom are involved in Yajie Laundry's work, and 5 students have successfully transitioned to working at Yajie Laundry.</p>
<h2>The Biggest Change is in Mindset, More Communication Increases Confidence</h2>
<p>Chen Weiquan, 29, is a member of Kang'en Garden, who has mild intellectual disabilities and autism. Initially, he worked on making sandwiches and processing coffee packaging, but now he is responsible for folding and inspecting cabin bedding, and has become known as the &#34;big brother&#34; among everyone. Chen Weiquan said that he can now fold over 100 pieces of bedding and inspect 50 bedding bags daily. In this process, he has learned to collaborate with colleagues, becoming more proactive in communication, and feels &#34;very happy&#34; when teaching other members how to fold bedding.</p>
<p>Yuen Yuk-chen pointed out that the biggest change for the members is the shift in mindset. Previously, they were mostly cared for by family members, but now they can earn money with their own hands, and some can even contribute to household expenses, gradually transforming from &#34;care recipients&#34; to &#34;contributors.&#34; As their confidence grows, they are also more willing to step out of their homes and interact with others. In their work, they have slowly learned to cooperate with colleagues, and when encountering problems, they try to solve them together, gradually cultivating a sense of responsibility</p>

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<p>Cathay Pacific collaborates with Sunshine Social Enterprise to employ people with disabilities and part-time women for tasks such as packaging tableware, supporting disadvantaged communities. Sunshine Social Enterprise was established in 2008 and currently has 70 employees, offering flexible 4-hour shifts to help staff balance family and work. The workforce is gradually getting younger, reflecting the positive impact of social enterprises on the community</p>

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CATHAY PAC AIR

The unsung heroes behind Cathay's packaging and tableware are disabled individuals and part-time women who have transformed "autistic employees into more proactive and happier individuals."