I think who has handled it better or worse is a rather obsolete discussion. As for EK, given the fact of the size of company they could have handled the whole thing way better than the did, as the whole management could think twice about their actions.
assuming 1500 where let go it was costing EK a minimum of
3 month salary (based on basic salary of 25800aed/month for FO and 43000aed for PIC)
costs for the FO: 86.250.000aed
costs for the PIC: 120.750.000aed
this includes: 3 month basic saleries and the container. 750 of each side
total:207.000.000aed - an that’s only the Minimum.
if they would have considered paying 8k AED a month to put food on the families tables that money would have lasted 17 month - so long enough to go throu the worst.
beside the costs for returning or selecting new ones (which at the same amount of candidates will be the amount of money again) would have covered the unpaid leave guys.
Now some will say:
1. But there are other costs to be covered if people would have stayed for eg. school allowance - true, but we don’t know how many kids in school are effected and still there is the bucket of money for the rejoining of guys has to be added to the total “let go costs”, plus the variation in the calculation as it is properly higher as rather senior guys have been let go, therefore the salaries had been way higher than the assumption
2. Housing - does not make a difference because MS is owned buy EK and is still there producing costs or not independent if occupied or not. Opted out: well we don’t know how many did not live in company Accommodation
Bottom line, the difference of these factors wouldn’t be to much, but apparently not worth for them to show loyalty or any other form of respect to the workforce. General attitude was
it’s ok to spend the money on the “let go”, it’s also ok the spend it to hire new pilots- but it’s not ok to spend it to ungainfully employeed ones to safe some careers or life’s and provide a job security in these hard times for aviation.
And even if you say all that hassle was fair ok and necessary they could bring back every single soul in their old position, old seniority, may be on a different pay, keeping the FOs position on the career path, without disregarding the years of service, but that’s not what EK is like, there are no thoughts and that’s a personal decision of some higher pay grade managers demonstrating their respect to the entire food chain in EK.
just my thoughts
Last edited by flyTheBigFatLady; 26th Sep 2021 at 00:49.