Windle,
It is possible that the outcome you mention in the last sentence of your post is the intention of all this inaction. After all, the driving force behind this initiative is to save money. With fewer aircraft they will need fewer crew of all categories. They think they may also save money by employing monkeys with their dietary requirements. It costs nothing to deal with resigning staff; those who are made redundant are different.
[I am not suggesting for a moment that OD would be associated with such a stance].