Camel, then you are working for a different airline than I do. The hard workers as you call them are mostly those that respect their colleagues and have some personal professional pride. The problem as I see it is the reporting and backstabbing mentality that is embraced by certain nationalities, and is exploited by CC managers who rule with a callous heart.
The upshot is that there are plenty who will do their job and no more, there is no initiative shown, no attempt to be proactive and certainly a self preservation mentality shows through.
The upper echelons of EK are either ignorant of this reality, or they are deliberately fostering it. In a wider sense it is indicative of the mentality of certain local elements who view employees as a cost, and not a resource, moreover their attitude merely reflects a desire to "their" pound of flesh from those who should be "grateful" that they live and work in the "greatest City in the world"