You could call the current agreement a consent agreement, whereby anything over the minimum could be refused by either party.
What are you talking about? It’s not like that at all. You are always rostered above minimum, and you are required to fly it. You can also be assigned above that, if you have available days, and you are required to fly that too.
I don’t understand your comment.
Contactability is merely a requirement to answer the phone when at home, outside of reserve. Long Haul have certain home contactability requirements. Short Haul don’t. That’s the only difference.
Contactability would presumably be a necessary tradeoff for any pay protection. Short Haul survives without contactability because pilots have an incentive to chase lost flying (or don’t get paid!). Introduce pay protection, and suddenly it’s the Company that needs to chase lost flying, hence required contactability. Simples.
Along with that you lose the inviolate days off. Say goodbye to your son’s birthday you successfully bid off.