... at the moment the company is breaking the law ...
... There will be quite a few lawsuits about that ...
Some time ago, maybe pre-UAE investor days, an airline across the border had deep contract compliance issues and pilots went work-to-rule. During the ensuing mess many pilots refused to agree to roster changes. All but a few cancellations were avoided, mostly owing to 2x Bulgarian AirCharter and 3x AirBerlin aircraft for the rescue. As the CBA expired about a week later, majority of the non-helpers were fired in this convenient period, about 30 guys, all forced to go expat. Oh, the following summer the Airline hired contractors for the first time ever, afterwards some had been offered to go fulltime.
I wish all the AB emplyees the best outcome and good protection under the law.