Snake makes a good point on the future of basings outside Hong Kong. However, management has already tried to play this card in December and that in itself has raised some rather interesting questions. Why would a modern day Company say that the viability of basings would be in doubt if the said Company had to comply with modern day labour laws? It rather begs the question on management integrity and intent.
On the other hand, doesn’t the Company already employ non-pilot staff in each of the basing countries who are very clearly protected by the same labour laws that the Company say that they have difficulty complying with in the case of pilots?
Also one might consider that each based pilot saves the Company accommodation, family medical, travel expenses that would otherwise have been paid in Hong Kong along with the reduced basing pay that together totals in the order of HK$ one million per pilot per year on an ongoing basis. Since the based pilots number in the hundreds, we are therefore talking hundreds of millions savings per year. Is this something that the management is likely to sacrifice in a fit of pique?
Watch this space…