Greetings from HK!
EK pilots are always talking about bases in order to stop attrition...fact is that a base in 1st world country is a looooot more expensive (tax, employer's contributions, social security, maternity/paternity/jury leave...) than training a new pilot (and captain). Talk to any CX pilot you know how the bases have worked out here (onshoring dramas, double taxation, AMS/CDG base closure...).
Most of you guys have reached a position in relatively short time compared to a legacy carrier in your home country and now you wanna go home - if I was at EK I would only be interested more money since going home as a 35 year old wide body captain is literally impossible.
AB