etopsmonkey
I don't disagree with the general idea of what you wrote, I must say.
That's not the topic of discussion, however. Right now, the company needs to attract vast numbers of pilots in the next few years. It also needs to keep the show on the road in the meantime.
Regarding the latter, it appears that goodwill is currently necessary for that to happen. If it doesn't happen, that is a very costly situation for the company. If that weren't the case, the company would simply refuse to negotiate from the outset.
Deliberately employing a lean workforce is a balancing act. It can work very well for both sides or it can be a disaster. Southwest being a good example of the gains available for both sides, in a lean operation.
If one wishes to employ a lean workforce, one has to realise that you are at the mercy of the 'over compliant' workforce continuing go the extra mile and to be willing to work harder. At this stage, whilst I am not unhappy here, I believe that morale is utterly broken at this place, and engagement levels & the willingness to help out are just not there to the extent needed to man a lean operation. CX could have made the choice to heavily over-man, like the US legacy carriers. They may need to raise the conditions in order to attract the numbers needed, but they would have far greater control over operational outcomes in the event of contract compliance, etc.. They have made their choice, and this (finding the lower limits of what keeps the rails on track) is a natural part of that cycle.
Market forces will dictate any external issues such as hiring/resignations, and this is, to me, a separate issue at this juncture.