There will be no pilot basings in the foreseeable future. As for 'When the penny drops', it's their train set mate, they can do what they want and at teh moment they would prefer to keep a close eye on you, with no external organisation being available to you in your home country i.e. A union. Also the UAE economy relies a lot on revolving funds, i.e. the pay you, then you spend the money in their own back yard. Don't forget that nearly all companies here are owned by only about 7 families, all of whom have senior places either at Government or advisory level.