I just have a funny feeling that they will struggle with crews this year.
and I have a funny feeling that they won't.
It saddens me to see that what used to be a really good airline to work for has been reduced to Ryanair tactics.
Regardless of that, there are still many more qualified pilots in the UK than there are vacancies.
Qualified doesn't mean experienced, but if Eastern can retain a core number of very experienced Captains they can promote experienced FOs to junior Captains and bring in FOs fresh from aeroplane school, the military or the job centre to train and model them in the way they wish to.
Any Ryanair junior Captain or FO will testify that being paid moderate wages to gain invaluable experience is worth it so that you can move on to better things a few years later.
Eastern may not be perfect employers, but the passengers keep turning up because they are solid, reliable and provide a very good service whilst keeping fares reasonably competitive for the routes they serve (I know this because I am a regular customer). They also have a substantial share of the charter market for the same reasons.
If the grass is greener, go to the other side, but I would consider my options very carefully before doing so.