The Only Question you need to ask yourself
 

To all, there is only one question you need to ask yourselves in helping determine whether CX is worth dedicating a career to: "based on CX history, do you think CX will attempt to cut your pay and benefits as the years go by, or not?". If you reach the obvious conclusion, then now will probably prove to be the best time in modern airline history to obtain and establish a career at a more worthy and stable employer. Don't make the mistake of seeing your career aspirations squandered by the dysfunctional and distrustful Swire management oligarchy. There are better places for you and your families.

The Question ?
 

Exactly Traf, or, after 40+ years in aviation (or any other career for that matter)
and to put it in simpler words:

Rule #1 - Always Always Always look for what's best "for you" and your family..

Nowadays, that does not make CX Look like anything more that a small (first) step in ones career progression.
Have also heard from sources that CX has now stopped the $105 weekly allowance while you a shacked up (on their behalf) at Adelaide plus that in most cases candidates will now have to pay out of their own pocket for ATPL courses... Time to Win

Only a desperate, pathetic fool would agree to those terms.

$105 week allowances (and they are too cheap to pay that?). I make sure i cost them that much extra each hour im in the aircraft . What a pathetic company.

They're trying to close down the Airline and they can't even do that without inflicting damage everywhere. I'd leave now and avoid the inevitable rush when the dam burst.

Accept that the good days are long gone and won’t be coming back. Decide if you are willing to stay on reducing conditions or would you be better off somewhere else. Thirty years old I’d be looking elsewhere, fifty plus and I’d probably stick it out rather than risk going through a new licence and operator just incase.

Additional rule
 

In addition to my rule #1 above, I'll add one more.

It's been my experience that feelings of "uncertainty" in ones career by far outweigh and eat away a the feelings of satisfaction, safety & security one might anticipate commensurate with the dedication, skills and sacrifices necessary in a career such as this.
Therefore Rule #2
- If you have feelings of "uncertainty" constantly gnawing away at you, it's up to no one else but YOU to seek out and find a situation for yourself and your family that offers you ADDITIONAL or increased certainty.

I, after years of this management garbage, already have.:)

Well said by many.

I think one of the genius aspects of God's design for us mortals on earth is he gives each of us an expiration date--and no one has any idea whatsoever of when it will be.

So it pays to make the most of whatever days you got.

Fretting, fear, anger, and resentment are not places I like to play. So I might suggest if you don't like what is going on you either find a way to like it using all the tools at your disposal to make your life good, or seek an alternate path which will be rewarding to you. Getting 'stuck' in malaise I don't think a good place to be.

Life is too short to waste going down blind alleys. Especially when they are marked as such by others.

Shep, good post. I would counter with the observation that many of us are actually enjoying the present moment (as we plan our exit). Since the 13th month insult, I have already calculated that I have seen deliberate cost INCREASE measures that have totaled probably close to 5 times as much, and it's only mid Feb! Needless to say, when you motivate your entire Captain ranks to send a message that they are done being mistreated and insulted, you will quickly see that you have made a massively costly mistake in "man mis-management". An example or two, we landed with F30, after early config, then rolled to the second exit (could have made the first, but wanted to be 'smooth' :-), then had to back track on the taxi way, which then led to a 1 min delay for conflicting ground traffic, then a leisurely taxi to the gate. Figured it cost about 200KG extra fuel from the start of the approach, 200KG I could EASILY have saved. Just one approach and landing, on one aircraft. Multiply daily. Another example, change of ZFW. Used to round down in favour of the company. Now, if it's close to say, 200KG of fuel but 'not quite'. The answer now becomes 100KG (and frequently not even that), instead of 200KG in years gone by. Doesn't sound like much does it?, but multiply by thousands of flights per year and suddenly that simple thing alone has accounted for far more than my $37000. And so on and so on. So, i'm actually enjoying my time at the moment. Sort of how the resistance must have felt during WW2 when they blew up a train track :E

I think most of us can recognise that these are just two of literally countless examples each and every day where our (that is the Captains) discretion can result in either a cost saving or a cost increase. Not too difficult to figure out which option we are all electing on a daily basis. How's that $37000 per Captain you stole from us RH/AT? When it's all said and done by the end of the year, I believe that each of us will have returned that little favour to you to the tune of close to $200000 - $300000, at least that is what I can easily see my own discretionary decisions will cost, all of them legitimate, just not in your favour, and they never will be again. Here's to your bonus.

Hmm, ok Frank. And a bit of info for you, they do care, because they can see the slow but steady increase in cost. And even if they don't, I'm just happy that i'm leveling out the ledger a bit for them. As for this years 13th month, it won't matter. Most of us are planning our exit anyway. House up for sale, wife already back home setting up our newly bought home there. All's good, and nothing CX says or promises will change our minds.

Oh, and as for discretion, you've obviously been away for a while. Haven't gone into discretion in over 10 years, and won't be for the remainder.