L.C.
To answer you: Yes, 6 days on is worse than 5, and so 5 should be an improvement. But why accept a change that will make only a small improvement when with deeper thought a more significant improvement can be made? Acceptance of the minor improvement will mean you'll stuck with it for a long time.
D the H.
CAP 371 does not have self-induced jet lag. As A.D surmises it is the action of rosterers in using the rules without 'the spirit' that induces the problems. CAP 371 does not tell you to induce time changes, but it allows it to be done. Why do crews transfer from earlies to lates in the same period? Because it can be done, but only if common sense is ignored. A. D. is correct in the question: why should flight crew (including C/A's here) not be able to expect a reasonable life? Remember, and this is a re-hash from previous threads; Kinnock, when EU transport commisioner said that until public transport companies could implement fully the workers' directive on duty conditions, they should introduce compensation measures. It was recognisd that these workers operated well outside the norm and suffered very anti-social working times. However, NOTHING has ever been done. For my 1% I would have been beating a path to the union door. It should not be a bloody battle to achieve implementation of an EU directive, after all.
AND, why is the H & S executive not being involved? As with good CRM use all available resources. Unions and CAA's have achieved a reduction in working conditions, not an improvement. Many say this is with a degredation in safety and certainly in social/health areas. So, why not alert the agency that is set up to comabt such matters? Previous routes have hit the dead end. The bean counters hold sway over CAA's, (look at history before gasping in disbelief). Now is a time to try the back door route. The H & S executive is paid for by tax-payers' money, so try and get some return from your payments.
You'll never know until you ask the question.