Strandwolf,
You are so correct in their thought process about comparing our days off to the office workers. Have had this argument for years with cubicle dwellers, even at other airlines. But if they need to trot off to the doctor, this just go, during office hours. We can't do that at FL 370. If I am correct, they can take 5 days leave, Sunday thru Thursday and end up with 9 days off, the two weekends. And that is how we are looked at...office workers, by management (well, very upper mgmnt). That is probably where the 8 days off comes in and Why we get blocks of leave of 4 days (5 including the day off after leave).
See the office workers and their bosses have to work 160 hours a month as a general rule. We only have to work 92. So what in the world are you greedy, needy, prima donna pilots complaining about? Do not kid yourself, that IS EXACTLY their perspective of what we do and how we work. And their bosses perpetuate that thinking. The bosses do NOTHING to change that kind of mindset.
Why do you think the purser of the flight where the copilot went incapacitated got a Chairman's Najam, or whatever the highest award is called? But nary a mention of the captain, who flew, communicated, coordinated, taxied, etc., to a safe outcome, solo. No mention of the crew that flew an incorrectly loaded freighter, to a safe outcome, other than the safety report. These are examples of the lack of understanding and respect by the mngmt of what our job entails. Thus our working conditions. Simple really.