Agreeably, the 3% annual increment may not be in our contracts (don't know for sure since all contracts mysteriously evaporate a few years after they are issued.... some form of self-destroying paper I suspect) BUT every single year (except last year), pilots received the annual increment. Anyhow, there is a word for what I am trying to explain, which alludes me now, but in essence something is Contractual if it is written in such a manner that it should reasonably be expected AND historically it has occured. Then again, this is Dubai where acceptable norms are NOT ACCEPTABLE laws.
Larry, I feel for your lot in life, but I guarantee you will regret the decision to come to Emirates Airline because you are under pressure and stress at the moment. The last 3 F/O's I flew with were the nicest guys you could ever hope to fly with (2 Americans and one European), yet they were so twisted about what has gone on in their 1.5 to 3 year careers at EK. Each of them expressed that they wished they never came here and more importantly, they felt trapped now that they were here.
It's only going to get worse here mate! As recent as a few months ago we had pilots on Un-paid Leave yet this company, which made a BILLION $ profit last year, continues to slash and burn our T&C's and operate well below the manpower levels required to maintain this airline.
Currently Emirates is 20kts below alpha max! We are so far behind the power curve and in addition, very few suitable pilots from ANYWHERE on this planet are even considering EK as an option, so things will only get worse over the next few years. There comes a point when such mis-management becomes unrecoverable.
It would take a huge amount of insight, introprespective thinking on the part of our managers and team effort just to get back to a level which is barely sustainable for pilots at EK. It will not happen with our Management team. (re-read that last sentence because there is not one sane person working at EK, who would disagree with that point)
Since we are so overworked, are treated pretty much like the average slave worker in Dubai and the rate of pilots leaving this place is accelerating; these facts preclude any possibility that this job will return to its glory days. I doubt this job will even attain a level that is considered tolerable by most pilots.
You might be thinking to yourself........ ''well big growth projections, pilots leaving; hmmm, maybe I can upgrade in less than 7 years'' Not going to happen!
It is easier and apparently cheaper for this company to hire DEC's, primarily because no one in their right mind should want to come here as an F/O nowadays. Once a pilot comes to EK, he is trapped! That was not my sentiment when I came here, but I hear that sentiment on almost every flight now with my colleagues.
Being unemployed or fearing redundancy is a major stress for a pilot, especially in todays environment. But you MUST heed the warnings about Dubai and EK. There are no ulterior motives of negative posters on this forum, which might not have been the case in the past. What I'm trying to say is this, even if we get a 50% payrise, our present level of work and our treatment by management means that this job is no longer tolerable. It's not a matter of money, it boils down to flight-safety,YOUR health and lifestyle.
Emirates is ONE accident away from crumbling and that is not even taking into account that Dubai itself is on an unavoidable downward spiral.
If you believe that what is going on in the USA is a result of overtaxation and not the fact that the country has lived beyond its means for a generation, then you are in for a rude awakening in Dubai. You are probably a very nice person, as are most Yanks, but it seems you have no clue of what you will have to tolerate if you come to THIS cesspool.
In spite of how much I think you might be about to make a terrible decision, I completely understand why you hold such a POV and I wish you the best of luck!