Rex
Until the day that EK embraces the concept of part time working, BA will always be a step above when it comes to lifestyle.
The Arabs are less of a concern, to be honest but the problem lies with the bureaucracy, lack of accountability and overall inefficiency that proliferates within the many 'empires' that have been created within the company, by those who are generally from the sub-continent. They will be responsible for leave allocation, rostering etc and therefore will have more influence over your day to day work/life balance. Many senior management positions are held by westerners here in EK, so greedy capitalism has existed for some time but it was simply exported to the Middle East and perfected, before it was exploited closer to home.
Never underestimate the power of a union, even if the overall effectiveness of BALPA may be a moot point for some of your colleagues.