Why would anyone get fired for supplying the services he's been contracted to supply?
If "work-to-rule" means strictly as per the Company's Ops Man - S.O.P.'s - rigidly adhering to flight plan, it doesn't cause any problems for the Company, as this is what they budget upon, and assume pilots are doing ALL the time.
Disputes between a Company and its staff can often be quite distressing times - there's no point in compromising SAFETY by taking "shortcuts", because although it might save the Company a few dollars, it could end up getting the crew into hot water if things go pear-shaped.