This is a somewhat predictable strategy as the group of pilots these new contracts will benefit the most only form the minority of the AOA. The company had to work out a way to bypass the AOA to appease this minority.
The minority of the AOA membership, the "A" scalers cannot win a vote to extend the age to 65. All the "politically correct" "spin" by the 3rd floor "mathematician" and his merry men as we all know is just a weak excuse. We have not seen the same push on the cabin crew contract front where they are forced out at 45.
Placing the contracts into the mailboxes is an acknowledgement that the "mathematician" knows the company cannot win the "B" scalers over, they took the view that "B" scalers were unable to calculate what this means for them.
The cost to each and every "B" scaler that is not presently a captain with the introduction of age 65 is in the order of millions of dollars. The "mathematician" must think "B" scalers cannot work out what the future value of a 3-5 year delay in promotion is to each and every non commader.
For a FO, the cost at the end of the day will be in the region of $3,000,000.00, about 2/5ths of that is due to the reduction in provident fund contributions (i.e. being extended as an FO means lower 15% contributions each month), the remaining 3/5th is the reduction in salary earned. For a SO, the cost is closer to $5,000,000.00.
Unlike "A" scalers, which have a defined benefits, delays in promotions significantly decreases what a "B" scaler earning power over their career. For some of the "B" scalers, the total package they will take home over their entire career (salary and provident fund), will not even come close to an "A" scalers provident fund.
The "A" scalers also take all the out port bases, the main reasons being the lifestyle, rosters, and the housing benefits for many of them in Hong Kong are only available to pay rent, not to build equity. Apparently "B" scalers do not have the same desires.
What the company is "taking" (pay, provident fund, basings, lifestyle, rosters) from the "B" scalers it is "giving" to the "A" scalers, that minority of the pilot body that think they are indispensable, the overall savings end up as management bonuses.
Obvious this is a move by the "mathematician" and his fellow "A" scalers to undermine the rest of the "B" scalers, and in the process :
1) delay promotions
2) reduce company contributions to "B" scale provident funds
3) reduce "B" scales non commander salaries as a result of delayed promotions
3) cost "B" scalers non commanders between 3-5 million dollars each
4) make basing impossible for existing "B" scale commanders
5) crew aircraft which apparently cannot be flown with an "A" scaler
6) align the freighter and passenger pay for now joiners, by reducing the passenger pay.
While all this is going on, "B" scalers have no idea of what other behind the door schemes the "mathematician" and his fellow "A" scalers have plotted. In fact this whole CoS process may have been planned lie this a year ago, full well knowing the initial negotiations will fail.
With so many of the "A" scalers knowing about this "contract" before the rest of the pilot body wreaks of collusion with management, and their argumentative response to the "B" scalers when they point out the massive costs to "B" scalers to this does nothing but to confirm that further.