"it was emphasised that, despite the permission, no pilot should go over the limit in any rolling 12-month period. It's the company's responsibility as well as the pilots' to abide by that."
Ah, but did they? The company that is? It would be difficult for a lonely pilot to refuse a roster they considered broke FTL's and lose out any contractor payments. What about type rated guys who joined from other operators, before the current winter grounding, with hours in the bank, went onto the line quickly and then were zero'd in April and worked like slaves until October. Was anyone looking out for them? It would be a nifty computer program for rostering to keep track of their individual 12 month hours; but good if they tried.