If say 2000 777 pilots gave just 500 dhms a month to the 400 or so Unpaid leave colleagues, it is such a minuscule, doable, charitable act, that would make the difference between genuine hardship/ forced resignation, or staying employed
I believe that was done when the 777 pilots were flying close to full rosters, doing 20hr turns and trying not to
up to give Fleet a reason to sack you, all the while on half salary for 6 months (or working on unpaid leave for 3 - whichever way you look at).
Point being, no matter what savings were introduced, it still wasn't going to save jobs. EK used this crisis as a convenient opportunity to excuse themselves from their egotistical A380 orders and still save face.