Excellent post Pixy. Fuel decisions and fuel management are two of the few areas where we are able to demonstrate our professional judgement. I thought the Mid East was awash with cheap fuel. Looks like the bonus criteria is the motivating factor here.
Mate of mine, like you, stood up for himself, long time ago, questioning the fuel policy of a bucket & spade operation he was forced to endure as a result of redundancy. He didn't last long. The other sheep, continued to fly around , cooking the books & making it all look legal. He once commented;"How I get from Departure to destination and arrive with more fuel than I left with, is a real mystery !!"
Joining a Mid East Operator, he was astonished with the lack of fuel awareness and was the only one to carry flight plan fuel on a regular basis because the company policy was so generous. He put that down to the price of cheap fuel but the policy existed at 'expensive' uplift points like Europe, too.
My worry is that you guys will be intimidated by this situation & will make a few risky calls in order to stay out of the 30% league. Be very careful out there & , possibly, try a group representation to fleet management in order to express your concerns. Of course it will fall on deaf ears if the same management are bonus orientated. What a dreadful Industry we are now having to suffer.