Well if you call "serious damage" no damage at all to the naked engineer's eye then you are right. Number crunchers' precaution, that's all. Don't forget it was allowed to fly home.
Getting back to the topic, basically if you have been given an interview you are 90% there, or here I should say.
Monarch also offer much better Loss of Licence cover (2 x basic rather than 1.3 x basic), Private Health Insurance (none at easy) and much better sick pay (12 months rather than 4.5 at best at easy). If you join on the A320 (most likely) you will probably fly the A330 within 5 years. 6 B787s on order, first in 2010.
The current pay offer to the troops is 4.6% backdated to April and 10 days off in 28 within 16 months plus a couple of percent in flying pay. Proposed DC pension changes also beat easy's hands down (12.5% cf 9% from the co). And the pay offer hasn't been accepted yet.
Don't assume the pay bars are permanent, and 2 sector days are the norm in Monarch, not 4 or 5.
If you like a home life and you get the base you want you will very likely enjoy yourself.