Yes the ban is fair, but…
The management is laughing because they are presently attracting the same king of spineless “yes men” as themselves. The "stand up" guys are knocking it back, but they can always go to Emirates.
Did I hear: “But I don’t have a job and I have a mortgage”
Just do as you would if you were to accept the CX job. Sell your house and move to a 700 Sq. foot flat (like one that you would get on a CX S/O housing allowance), only do it in your home country instead. You will be able to work and live as comfortably as most people do while you wait for the dust to settle at CX. More importantly you will be able to keep your professional reputation intact. Once you lose it, it’s for life. Someone I know is a Lorenzo Continental Scab from the eighties and he still pays for his mistake.