as for the expat allowances issue -
simply put so they can finally understand: "you are not, so you can't have"
Wow and Fox it ain't gonna happen you accepted the LEP package end of. Not racial not looking down on LEP's just the facts.
Kids, you tried your best, and you failed miserably.
The lesson is - never try.
Spare me Mrfox's cute (but shallow) answer... Again, you guys are all respected, highly qualified aviators: what would it take for you to go Emirates... Housing Yes or No... Education Yes or No, Bonus at the completion of Contract (3 years) Yes or No.... or are you saying... if a local UAE doesn't get the allowance; I don't want it either.....
Go on, surprise me and give a substantive answer...
The depth of the answer given was appropriate to the depth of the question asked.
So let me get this straight...you are not willing to make any sacrifices to better your career, you simply want to stay in your own comfort surroundings close to family and friends and receive the same package that is entitled to those who made the sacrifice to live abroad to better their career.
And what exactly, were the "sacrifices" you made? Did it have anything to do with, say, quality of life, monetary and emotional cost of uprooting family and self, and restarting at the bottom of the ladder due to loss of seniority and rank? Sounds familiar?
And was it because of the fact that the Cathay package can offset the above negatives that you decided to jump ship?
Please do tell if you came for more noble reasons, so we can all appreciate your "sacrifice".
You think Hong Kong is an easy place to live for most expats...what Dubai is to you, Hong Kong is to me.
Lemme tell ya, we have it great here. You have no idea!
Because as "Locals", we enjoy many advantages which makes Hong Kong just heaven on earth for us!
Just a few that I can think of off the top of my head:
-A unique biological preference for small living spaces. The smaller the better.
-Kids with 4 digit IQs, making education irrelevant.
-An in-built pollution filter, located between the esophagus and the lungs. Ask us to show you next time!
-And the fantastic ability to grow money on trees!
Come on, tell us what YOU love about Hong Kong!
Remember these are guys who had SIGNIFICANT experience in many facets of GA or the military, and who will probably have had to use their aquired skills to stay alive in many a hairy situation. They are hired by CX as future commanders for that skill, experience and will to live, to protect Cathays safe reputation. They were hired not only for what they do on a day to day basis, but for what they CAN do when the !!!! hits the fan.
By comparison, many of the cadets had nothing to offer by way of a proven track record
If you believe one's fair worth is measured from the hours in his logbook, then perhaps we should all be on a sliding payscale based on logged hours?
But of course, GA hours wouldn't be worth as much as airline hours, so we'll need to have a multiplier.
And of course hours from the military are worth most of all.
Then we need to seperate the trash haulers from the "tactical" aviators, which are the best of the best of the best, unless you were a test pilot.
1 billion bonus points for shuttle/X-15 time.
Seriously,
Is a ex-cadet's PC easier than a DE's?
Do we sell our seats cheaper because a flight is being operated by an ex-cadet?
Does the !!!! stink less when it hits the fan on an ex-cadet's flight?
Whether you like it or not, our "limited" experience is sufficient to get us out and back safely, effectively, and efficiently, day after day.
Regardless of background, we operate to the same standards.
That makes us equals.
Again the question to you are Mrfox, if the package was not paid, would CX recruit and retain enough pilots? It's a simple question... any chance of answer
I stay because of the package, take away the expat benefits and I'll be out of here faster than Adolf Chen can hand out Lai Sees.
As many have already mentioned, no one is arguing for the elimination of allowances.
I can't even imagine how anyone can come to such a conclusion. How does this serve the LEPs, or ANYONE'S interest?
How did you get the impression that the LEPs are doing this out of spite?
Furthermore, following some of the above arguments, what about our based colleagues then, shouldn't they be entitled to what you already receive living in your home country (ie. 13 months and a special allowance for those who are captain). In fact you pay a much less tax rate in Hong Kong, compared to anywhere else, so why not adjust the based salaries to reflect the higher income tax. After all they are doing the same job as you, it's only fair, but I don't see you complaining about that!
Please read my replies more carefully. Although the topic of this thread was about LEPs, I have always included our based colleagues in my arguments.
What I seek is JUST pay. And justice for one is justice for none.
Local, expat, freighter, A scale, B scale, C scale, O scale, base scales X 6!!! Not to mention the currency, bonus, allowance, and tax issues you have mentioned above which divides us further and further, splintering us into bickering, self-interested groups.
What we have, and I am sure its the one thing that almost everyone can agree to, is that this is a royal hell of a mess, brought about by years of narrow, short sighted thinking, taken at the expense of our long term interest of a UNIFIED pilot body and its collective bargaining power.
Originally Posted by ACMS
We are all CX Pilot's and together we can make it better for ALL of us.