Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe the original posters question to be a very valid one. Perhaps not uniquely applicable to QR, but to the industry in general. As is often the case, so called salary "cuts" may not be achieved by an outright and apparent reduction in salary, but by stealth amendments to other allowances, benefits, bonuses, etc.
The Middle East is seeing a particularly difficult time just now, and it hasn't yet reached the worst part of it! Many industries (and commercial aviation is unlikely to be an exception) are seeing sudden and unanticipated cost cutting measures at the moment, and these are occurring in many ways not seen in the region historically. The notion that employers will start to cut salaries and benefits - particularly whilst supply outweighs demand for the first time in a long time - is not so much the wild idea it used to be.
Indeed, SQ, seen by many of us as an industry barometer, has announced it is cutting up to 200 flights from its current schedules, meaning that SQ aircraft disposals or longterm parking cannot be ruled out.
When the mighty SQ starts to park planes, the rest of us should sit up and take notice, because it is a sign that things are gonna get worse long before they get better.
On the infrastructure side of the business (where I am involved), there is a gradual but steady slowdown. Many of the new "runways" and "mega-terminals" planned in the region in the coming year (pioneering 2009 into early 2010) are gradually disappearing from the drawing board. Airport Operators are re-evaluating their plans significantly and going back out to re-tender some of the major packages, depsite the fact the work has already been awarded to various consultants and contractors.
The GFC has meant that there is now a major excess capacity in the construction market. Operators can now renegotiate their terminals and airstrips at far better rates than before, and are taking advantage of hungry contractors vying for work, whilst at the same time slowing the whole expansion mode quite considerably, and so the vicious circle continues......
Parked planes and salary cuts - not as unlikely as we may think, sadly. But, hopefully October 2009 should start to shed some light at the end of the tunnel.