EK at the abyss

[jammyk]

my time in EK so far:

Cons

1. Change to reserve rosters – all month
2. Supposedly "voted" in some years ago – by whom? A “secret” ballot, the results are amazingly exactly what the company would like us to vote for.
3. Now only one day of reserve duty allocated at a time (including days off). This means greater flexibility for them but no planning ability for us. For 35 days straight.
4. The Great “Cost Neutral Pay adjustment”
5. No credit for leave. Take 15 days Annual Leave and have 90hrs squeezed into the other 15 days of the month.
6. Instructors screwed over money in 2004, resulting in the competent core leaving and being replaced in many cases with, well...
7. SFIs. An even cheaper option to undermine the original training regime.
8. Recruitment team who were screwed a few years back – again over money.
9. Uniforms to the sim. That ****** decided on the uniforms for ground duties rule.
10. 2004 max days off rule. Was quietly ignored after a few months when Adel forgot he’d brought it in.
11. 2008 max days off in a row. He remembered last year and brought this in again.
12. 2009 max days off and max in a row. This time he finally made it stick.
13. No 3% salary increment in 2009. One of the bigger lies they tell to prospective new-joiners, leaving them in the belief they’ll get a guaranteed 3% increment to the base rate every year.
14. No bonus paid in 2009 to lower rung employees (that’s us).
15. Augmented rest abolished in First Class cabin and moved to business class. This policy was only rescinded due to the wave of ASRs submitted.
16. Temporary accommodation up to 12-15 months in some cases
17. Sign on time is one hour before the flight. Pick-up is 2:15 before. The computer “says” you’re required to complete your paperwork and leave the briefing room 20min before the legal commencement of duty.
18. Warning letters for anyone who’s late for the pick-up. See above.
19. Sign off time – no 30min after arrival. This was removed as an inconvenience in 2004 when the JFK flights began. Crew are still expected to do their own paperwork though because they sacked the office guys who used to do it. Park, set brake, sign off. Wait 30min for the “high-lifter” then stand around waiting up to a quarter of an hour for our own bags at HQ.
20. Sackings/Enforced “resignations” eg. the KL “assault”, Accra, Manchester and of course EK407.
21. DECs and negotiated pay rates. Well not anymore!
22. TCAS’s uniforms spanking
23. No transport for rostered ground duties such as the management meeting despite the contract.
24. Pooling of transport
25. No meat import for crew (does not apply to passengers)
26. Factoring 1 – thanks to TCAS
27. Factoring 2
28. The CRC fiasco – 340, 777, 380. Ongoing ASRs due to lack of sleep quality. The fact the crew rest is at the other end of the aircraft from the cockpit seems to have been quietly over-looked.
29. Training for 10 sectors for new guys, reduction in sims
30. The advent of Pelesys and requirements but no internet provided in hotels unless it’s free anyway. Then it’s “provided.”
31. Allowances decreasing or disappearing
32. Cheap, second-rate LPC EFBs and LIDO charts. EK used to pay for Jeppesen.
33. Only one set of area charts for two pilots (to save money).
34. The baggage fiasco after your flight
35. The recent change to our overtime rate thresholds brought in as the rostered flying per month began to creep up. Cleverly worded by Ed. We fly more hours in ULR flight so they should pay us less. This has effectively negated the pay rise of the year before which is, of course, the whole idea. They needed pilots and so they offered a pay rise. Now they do not need pilots and so they take it back.
36. Utilities and DEWA. Another blatant breach of contract.
37. Gas regulators being applied to all cylinders. The idea is, the reg slows down the flow of gas and they save money. You get to pay for the regulator too.
38. The latest upgrade letter – 3000hrs
39. Seoul flights now two-crew following a magical re-working of the flight time. Keep filing those ASRs.

Pros

1. The free oven mitt.
2. Gold stars for the trainers.
3. The offer to freeze our Prov Fund payments so we can use the money instead. (The catch is that they’ll freeze theirs too.)

Coming soon

1. 1000hrs a year
2. Utilities cost increase. The price of elec and water WILL go up, significantly, just like the sun will rise.
3. Rental cap
4. No CONT fuel
5. ***** ******* cap is next, if and when they think of it.

I tried to post this as a separate thread but was unable to since it's a new registration.