@Kapitanleutnant
You mean in MAJOR western companies (not so many good remaining anymore) everything is ruled by seniority? If so, you are right.
The MAJORITY of western companies does not respect a seniority system even if in place. A lot do not have such a system anymore. All died with some old dinosaurs around 2000(give/take a bit).
Still, I prefer to have non such system in place in Europe where I always may challenge the company(any, as long as in EU Europe based/run) by legal means.
That is not the case in any company in the ME or Asia.
And here we reach the point - WHY would EK not hire DEC directly on an 380(such an ugly beast with a major design flaw - it has to big fuel tanks
)?
They do what they want. You(the employees) should know above all other guys how airlines are run down there. We need a DEC, lets hire one. No pilot union is stepping on our toes. Nobody will change that, if I would have any desire to go down there, heck, I would go for a DEC position before sitting on a righthand seat for 5-8 years. That's how this kind of companies run and get people, that's how they keep afloat.
That's why there are so many of you down there, oportunities. No major in Europe is hiring anymore(or was ever) DEC's. And then again, that is why so many old guys are not leaving and coming back, because nobody would hire them as Captain on a widebody in Europe.
I don't believe a A380 is harder to fly then any other widebody in the world, maybe taxiing this ugly thing is the biggest challenge. And then again, if you stick to your (tailored) taxicharts it is not rocket sience.