How short of aircrew are we ?
The consequences of being woefully short of aircrew
The company are now regularly (several times a week) using reserve pilots for a callout, (often to Vancouver...), and then reducing their rest on arrival under the guise of a roster disruption. These crew are then given minimum rest at the airport hotel (the length of the preceding duty period), and then operate back to Hong Kong.
Remember that the term "roster disruption" was intended to cover typhoons and other major events where many rosters were disrupted. It is designed as a device to get the airline's operations back on track in these circumstances.
Crew sickness does not constitute a roster disruption. If you are called out to cover a crew sickness then you must have normal physiological rest. In some cases there was no crew member rostered to operate the aircraft in the first place !
There are also more situations arising where the company is requesting that an aircraft be operated with a reduced 3 crew compliment to return it to Hong Kong, using commanders discretion. If you have already had reduced rest then you should be well acquainted with section 24.6 of the appropriate manual. The wording "exceptional circumstances" was never meant to be taken lightly, and was never meant cover crew sickness, or low manning levels.
Remember, these are all the consequences of poor airline planning. we are now desperately short of aircrew. Keep it legal. If a letter to CAD is required, then submit it. Don't get caught bending the rules. It is your career you are dealing with here.