Increase in overtime pay is the solution...
As mentioned so many times before, the basic salary is not the main issue. Yes, a pay rise is long overdue, especially since we haven't had a correction in line with inflation in DXB for years now. But the main issue is QOL: there's only a few people who like to earn the big bucks if they don't have the time to enjoy it, being constantly tired and looking at no family life etc. etc. You get the picture.
So I hear a lot of people say that we need to reduce the overtime threshold, get paid for ground duties, reserve, credit for annual leave... I'm all for that, but it won't accomplish a single thing without the real deal breaker: a SERIOUS increase in overtime payment.
Why?
Lets consider a 10 year seniority captain. Without having access to the exact numbers... (ballpark figures will do since these numbers are good enough to get the idea - if someone has time on their hands for a detailed 'study': feel free! )
Basic pay, flying pay, housing, medical, training, schooling, A fund, ... is easily above 88000 Dhs per month.
So that basically means that 1 hour at work costs the company AT LEAST 1000 DHS.
Now, our overtime is 600 Dhs/hr.
So basically, every hour of overtime you work, you are saving the company at least 400 DHS compared to what you would have if you were working max 88 hours. If they would have to hire a new captain to cover that work, it would cost them a lot more!
It is clear that the company is SAVING money by working us overtime, so they have absolutely no incentive hiring more pilots, as long as they have enough to cover the flight whilst remaining legal to fly.
The only way our lives will get back to sort of normal is by an increase in overtime payments to at least 1500 Dhs/hr region. As long as we don't achieve that, the company is making money by working us in overtime, and any reduction in threshold or whatever they do is just a small pay rise, but has nothing to do with actually taking down the monthly hours.
Conclusion: The only way the company can prove they are willing to increase our QOL is by dramatically increasing the overtime pay.