Being grateful and 'pleased to received' is a begging bowl approach to what we have worked our collective butts off earning.
I need it and I've earned it. I shouldn't need it if the wages had kept up anywhere near inflation or been as 'competitive' as they would have us believe. Every year it is a slap in the face and an insult in the way they manipulate the figures to reduce the amount 'given' rounded down to the nearest week.
It is the one occasion where they can actually make a statement of appreciation instead of a begrudging pittance wrapped up in the management spin of 'tough times ahead' etc etc, after which they announce another multi-million sponsorship deal or massive new order of the biggest whatever they can get...
EK is not a cooperative, they make that perfectly clear with every rule they change, break or abuse. If they treat me like mercenary then I'll act like one and want what I am due and it's not 4 bl**dy weeks.
