First, it is against the agreement in all of our contracts: It does not matter if you enjoy it or prefer it or like it or hate it. It is not allowed.
If the pilots are willing to give into the company's wish to change this, then there should be a negotiated settlement in which pilots get something for giving something. Simple. It appears that the AOA is willing to give in to satisfy those who want to PX, while allowing those who don't to just say no. However, I don't think that is getting anything in return for helping the company. In other words, some or all of the PX should be 100% credit.
The main problem with PX is the 50% credit rate: This means you work twice as long for the same pay. How hard is that to understand? When you have 5 and 7 sectors of PX at 50% credit, that means you have to work another 5 to 7 sectors just to break even. And that usually takes twice as many work days.
The secondary problem is the abuse of the PX option: Pilots are rostered for very long duties that defy logic and in some cases are simply inhuman. To trap a pilot in a plane for 30 hours is insane, unhealthy and dangerous. The seats are no comfortable and the spacing is cramped on all but the BCFs. There are no lie-flat seats, and the bunks are always taken by the operating crew and the "most tired" guy, or highest-ranking individual who usually displays typical Cathay-style lack of leadership, fairness or equality in sharing the remaining bunk, leaving FO's and SO's to sleep on the dirty floor like animals....you haven't understood the freighter PX issue until you've spent 20 or 30 hours upstairs, while getting 50% credit so they can roster you for even more flights as soon as they get you back. This is the problem with freighter PX'ing.
It has nothing to do with the food and drinks, everyone can watch their laptop or iPad, and we don't have to deal with cabin crew or pax or PA's or anything: But we do get rostered for twice as many flights/days at 50% credit, and it is not healthy or fair to be in an airplane for such long duties with crap seats and no guarantee of a bunk, particularly brutal after an already long duty when everyone else is at the hotel and you've got 10 or 20 hours to go.