huge cost of 200 Pilots returning to HK with full expat benefits.
As opposed to the huge cost of returning 41 PAR officers to HK with full benefits? They did that for fun?
The considerable LSL entitlements were required paid -and backpaid- the day they onshored Oz; regardless of their subsequent actions which may (or may not) include the closure of Oz alltoghether.
You can't shut down a base in the middle of negotiations... THAT would be bad faith. Once completed, however, they might wanna ensure that not one single more day of LSL entitlement incurs...