The fact is that regardless of the merits (or otherwise) of their case, the CX pilots lost their media battle a long time ago.
I bet there is not a single member of the general public in HK who understands and/or appreciates the pilots' misgivings about their job. The fact is that Joe Sixpack equates flying for a reputable airline as being well-paid, and that being away from home is part and parcel of the job.
A reality check would also reveal that many of the SLF spend more than seventy hours a month in planes, too.