I stand corrected
You guys are right. The way around this is to offer freighter (classic) commands based in HKG or somewhere unpopular - it goes down the seniority list until it gets to the recently joined, ex ASL scabs(whoops, did I say that out loud), who then conveniently walk into their old jobs. The only down side for them is that presumably they have to start on CN1 salary not whatever salary they are currently on.
So yes I believe the rumours are correct and CX will again make a mockery of our contract. Th FACA will be gone in early 2008.
Doing nothing will not work. If Isaac Newton were alive today he would have come up with a 4th law - "for every vacancy there is an applicant". With all due respect to my friends and ex colleagues in the sandpit, EK is living proof of this. They were taking everyone they could and the result is that many of the guys they took are incapable of being CNs and now EK have had DECs for a few years.
If CX lowered the standard we could ride it out for 10-15 years....presumably all the people now were recruited on the basis that they would be good enough to be CNs in CX. So who we recruit now only becomes a problem for CX in over a decade....and do you think the people making these decisions will still be around?
Two things will upset the apple cart - industrial action(not likely) and people leaving. So I personally don't believe pilot shortage will effect anything here - but thats just my opinion!