Well, if you think if the CEP getting any sort of COS improvement would mean a reduction in your own benefit then I have this to say to you mate. "If that happens, you can always go to the middle east and get your housing allowance over there", just like you suggested for the CEP to do. In fact, you have left your own country already so what's the big deal if you move again, right??? If you still choose to stay in HKG because it's a better place to live in then that is "YOUR CHOICE", so you can't really complain if they do reduce your benefit for someone else's improvement and still stay here, you had a choice.
And please, don't tell me you don't consider the housing allowance as part of your salary/pay/take-home-money or whatever you call it. At the end of the day, you're gonna pocket that money and we all know it's just an accounting exercise. IF the housing allownace is allowed to be used for RENT ONLY, just like most of the middle eastern airliners, then I can see how you can argue that the locals shouldn't get it cause it's not actual going into the your pocket. However, in CX's case, that lump sum IS eventually going into your pocket, so quit that "oh it's an allowance to compensate us" crap, IT IS PART OF YOUR TAKE HOME SALARY SMARTIE PANTS!!!!
If you think the CEP's didn't sacrifice ANYTHING to work for CX, you're probably the most naive person I've ever seen working for this company (even though there are probably more than I realize). Open up your tiny little eyes and look around, see how many CEP's actually left their home country and families behind to work for CX in HKG. There are CEP's commuting long distances and paying two mortgages half way around the world, sometimes paying full fare tickets during peak season because we don't get that priority 4 get-u-home FOC ticket. Countless of them actually don't even speak/read a word of chinese, the only thing that link them to HKG is their ID card. I'm pretty sure a lot of the so-called "expats" own as well after living here for years, and some even plan to call this their permanent home till death, so why aren't they considered "local"?
Sure the company invested a HUGE amount of money in the cadet programme but how many years of housing allowance does the training cost actually equals to? 3 years? 6 years? 10 years? 30 years? you tell me. The CEP's aren't even asking for housing allowance from day 1, we acknowledge the fact that the company MUST recover the training cost they provided. But at what point should the CEP be considered by ANYONE that they're actually just as experienced and capable as the next guy down the senority list? At the moment, they don't even get that recognition when they retire. And I ain't even talking about the "Same job same pay" BS, what I'm talking is the fact that a CEP A-scale CN is actually getting less than a B-scale FO while the company expects the lower paid guy to save everyone's @ss when **** hits the fan. Many CEPs have actually became captain, senior captains, or even T&C already. Are you telling me that their experience and skills is far less than the FO/SO sitting next to them? Why the heck is he training or even checking the guy sitting in the right seat then if that's the case?
I still remember all those whinning and crying foul w/ RA65 and COS08 couple months back, complaining about command time getting delayed for couple years or bypass pay getting waived or whatever. Mate, try getting screwed for 30+ years then you can talk to us again.
Last edited by CXChildLabour; 11th Feb 2010 at 09:02.