The Real Deal at EK
8 years ago the starting basic pay for an FO at Emirates was circa 16 000 dirhams per month. The exchange rate between the US and Kiwi was 0.39 (US$ to Kiwi$). At the dirham pegged rate of 3.68 to the US that was about NZ$ 11 150 a month. Now the exchange rate is 0.75 and an 8 year Captain's salary is circa 35 000 dirhams a month. That equates to NZ$ 12 700 a month. UAE inflation is rampant; so much so that accurate figures aren't publicised in case it scares people off. Look for example at real estate prices/rents. Even more startling is the price of a 'Grilled Chicken Full' at The Chalet. Prior to renovation it cost 25 dirhams; now it costs 36 dirhams; 50% increase and you get less humous and that delicious (but unknown) spicy stuff with it (offsprings of unmarried parents). Lets call it an average of 5% inflation for the past 8 years and thats being exceedingly generous. NZ$ 11 150 by 5% for 7 years is now NZ$ 15 700....... Hang on a minute.....we only get NZ$ 12 700 a month! So now after enduring 8 years in the desert and upgrading from FO to Captain we get a conservative NZ$ 3 000 less than when we started. As expats the most relevant aspect of our package is the amount we get in our home currency as we are (mostly anyway) going home and we must compare what we get to what we would have got if we had stayed at home.
I would suggest for the next pay review a scrapping of the ERP limit and a 100% pay rise and we would be looking at some semblance of a realistic package.