Fatigue is a major problem It is exacerbated (certainly in my airline) by a CEO who is looking for loopholes in legislation and, whilst trying to be seen to be abiding by the letter of the law, is in fact attempting to ride roughshod over everything CAP371 was brought in to achieve.
Downward pressure on terms and conditions, and being expected to give more and more for less and less reward long ago took the fun out of this profession. Now, imho, it is starting to become a serious potential cause of a major incident/accident. And what happens if you indicate that you or your crew are not fit to operate up to 3 hours extra (discretion)? You are gently reminded that there are a lot of unemployed pilots out there who will take your job tomorrow. Its true as well. So the system feeds on itself, reducing safety margins and making CEOs and directors nice bonusses in the process.
Time for something to be done Mr Macaskill. Dig Deep and Go For It! Please.