Interesting
Very interesting thread you have posted Mr Proach ! Finally something one can sink their teeth into !!
My voice may be small and generally unheard, but I also believe that where 'bonuses and safety' either cross,conflict or become intertwined then you are spot on with your hypothetical question of 'a case for legislation ?'.
It is definitely worthy of discussion. Basically you have raised,in part,the area of 'accountability'. Within an Operator or the Regulator, a measure of 'responsibility' lay's with each and every individual employed. However, overall 'accountability' lays with the CEO/Director.
So my feeling is that certainly under current legislation and the Australian legal system, there is nothing definitive in regard to 'safety,remuneration,bonuses,incentive payments' etc. Should there be legislation ?? Damn Right ! Nobody in society has earned the right to dodge accountability for their actions. Full stop.
Sadly however,and in present day reality,Airline CEO's,Regulator's and Politician's generally escape punitive action when they monumentally f#*k up because society's system's are designed to protect the 'strong and bury the weak'. Legislation,processes and the legal system are designed to do exactly that.These individuals operate from the 'Politician's Handbook' which is actually quite small in nature. It simply reads - 'On all occasions it is necessary to obfuscate, spin, evade,deny, blame somebody else and create a distraction to deflect attention from the real issues' !
Now maybe I am simply a 'glass is half empty' type of person, but my belief is that unless something totally dramatic occurs within society to cause the pendulum of fairness and justice to swing towards 'the little guy' then we won't be seeing any radical changes in our lifetime.