Rat 5........you're totally correct about rostering patterns that defy all commonsense.
WangEye....your input is welcomed. It's a seriously interesting point you make. Probably in the long run this is the only way things will change.
At risk of repeating myself, It just boggles my mind that the airline industry has come to this. It should be so simple. We are at the sharp end. People die (including us) if we make a mistake. Shift workers usually do 4 on/4 off or similar. We work very disruptive shifts, likely to cause fatigue, including time zone changes. Why on earth then is there any question of us working 6 on/2 off? Complete madness.