EK road show

[fatbus]

Would you recommend a Friend to come to EK/Dubai?

For those in the UK, 4 road shows. It's your chance to ask some pointed questions.

I think you will find most EK pilots would not recommend Friends to come under the current conditions and work environment. Some may same the wheels have fallen off and its not getting fixed any time soon.

[777boyindubai]

Why don't EK put their money where their lies come from and ask 10 Brit pilots to go and do the recruiting for them? Probably because they can't find 10 pliable enough.

[McGreaser]

Am lost in translation.........

ask 10 Brit pilots to go and do the recruiting for them?

what good would that do ? Or is that a pun of some sort ? Am only ICAO English level 1

I believe guys and girls should just go ask relevant questions at the roadshow, am sure from what they have heard from their mates here, they will be able to tell what's a lie and what's not......... rather than

ask 10 Brit pilots to go and do the recruiting for them?

[JumpinJack Flash]

In true EK, well-organised fashion, they put out a letter asking us to spread the word to our friends/associates to go along and attend.......(not sure if any of us would???)

Wasn't the first roadshow, for London, on the 21st of February, ie. yesterday? Little bit pointless then, to only be advising us the following day,(letter on the portal is dated the 22nd) don't you think Emirates???

[twieke]

I hope some of our guys on a layover go incognito to those road shows and ask some really good questions. Just to see what they come up with. Unfortunately, I never have stops in the UK. I'd go and attend one of those sessions for a good laugh.

If you go, please keep us posted

T

[nolimitholdem]

I would LOVE to go to one of these, but not for the reasons EK would like. Specifically to act as a translator for the bare-faced lies that will be told at these dog and pony shows.

It would be comical if it wasn't so sad...on the same portal page that details the roadshows, it has the "explanation" from the can't-get-lost-soon-enough Talking Horse about the DEWA charges for villas.

Quote from EK employment contract, same wording in furnished and non-furnished options:

The Company will pay rent, tax, all relevant cooking gas, electricity and water charges.

From the portal:

A reconciliation of DEWA consumption records will be done this April after the records for the usage in the period between 1st June 2009 and 31st March 2010 are available. Where employees exceed the cap, amounts to be recovered will not exceed Dhs 1,000 per month and will continue until the excess amount is fully recovered, provided that the full recovery can be achieved within a 12 month period. Where this is not achievable the recoverable amount will be split into 12 equal instalments.

For prospective joiners, this is what you can expect. This is only one of many, many changes to the TOS that have been rammed down the throats of the pilots - you can look elsewhere on the forum for more gems. FTL abuses, rostering nightmares, ALD changes, 15-20% increase in flying with no attendant pay raise, on it goes.

Ryanair with widebodies, except in a medieval corrupt location. Only come if you can hold your breath long enough to avoid the stench for your contractual period. Three years is a long time when you're down the rabbit hole.

[777boyindubai]

Hi McGreaser,

Perhaps the point isn't clear.

I would love Emirates to ask 10 Brit pilots to go to the UK roadshows. EK know that they couldn't find people to go and tell bare faced lies to fellow professionals after all the lies.

The utilities thing speaks volumes for thses crooks!

[apron]

will many folks find themselves with excess rates to pay??? Is the allowance not in any way enough?? I am interested....as I am considering EK

[Saltaire]

Short answer, yes, with an average family of 4 living in a villa; flats are exempt. Although, not entirely in EK's hands, the utility rates have now been reset by DEWA ( Dubai Electricity Water ) and even EK isn't competely sure of the rate structure. It appears to be another cash grab from DEWA with the gov't needing the extra income. Therefore, although likely small in most cases, extra payments are now probable with the increase in rates. It's another decline and unilateral change of the contract. The most prevalent and serious was the productivity change from 78 to 92 hours a couple years ago and now the extra flight hours to match. It saved the company millions but now costs them with an increase in sickness and a huge decline in morale. Most fleets are working to the bid window of 90 hours with no incentive or productivity pay ( overtime ). Better hope you can sleep at all hours of the day and night...

[CAVnotOK]

Some people are given Villas with large gardens which are expensive to maintain, or older style Villas with poor insulation, and/or inefficient aircon units.

People in these cases might be up for twice the allowed amount provided by EK.

The thing you need to worry about most is not the Utility Cap, but the way the contract is changed and disregarded at the discretion of EK.

CAV

[vbrules]

boycott the f@#$ers

[Carbo]

From the figure given by DEWA, I expect to be around 150USD/ month over the EK cap (for a 4 bedroom "attached villa", very small garden, 3 adults and 3 kids).
If you have kids, be prepared to pay around 5000dhs (yes, 1300USD!)/kid/year on top of the EK allowance for the school bus.
Good luck

[Spikedog]

Does anyone have any details of these roadshows? When and where?

Thanks

[fourgolds]

To all prospective candidates. I understand that a job is better than no job and you might have mouths to feed etc. When applying you will hear only what you want to hear as you need the job . I understand, however all you need to know is well documented on these forums. If I fly with any new joiners in the years ahead, you will not get an ounce of sympathy when you complain about your time to command , the breach of your contract , the lifestyle in Dubai , the unfair treatment , the 900 ( 1000 hrs) a year , your rosters , accomodation , schooling etc etc etc. As the information is all here. Its a choice you are making with all the facts available to you. Good luck.

[Spikedog]

Is life really that bad at Emirates, or just similar to most other airlines now? At my current UK airline we are trying to get BALPA recognition and then start the laborious task of improving Ts&Cs, which we have seen eroded over the last few years. Management are cutting costs left right and centre by eroding our Ts&Cs, which sounds similar to what has been happening at Emirates?

Who is the best airline to work for in the UAE? Emirates, Etihad, Qatar?

Thanks

Spike

[maimax]

captain, you should listen

spike,

any of those outfits can be good to you for a while, or bad to you from day one.

the middle east, its roads, its judicial system, its working evironment, its everything really... is like a casino (sic).

you may win a bit... you'll always end up losing.

if you're a gambler at heart, if you enjoy putting happiness, peace, family on the line, come over, have a go...pray for luck, pray for luck every day, don't be greedy and know when to cash in your chips...make sure you don't get sucked in like many around, who couldn't leave if they wanted to.

clearly you do not trust all those colleagues who try to warn you through the different threads, so come over, have a try....any of those companies you name will suit your drift

....actually, you'll be perfect

[BigGeordie]

You are trying to get a union on board to improve T&C. That will never happen with any of the Gulf carriers, so the T&C are only going to go one way. It is not so much how bad it is now, it is the trend and the fact the "management" can do what they want, when they want. There is no consultation and no negotiation.

Emirates is unrecognisable now in terms and conditions to what it was 5 years ago- or even 2 year ago.

[Buscat]

Spike, EK conditions are not that bad in comparison to SOME other airlines except that to put up with living here, they should be about double what they are. Since you live in your home country you do not have to experience the lifestyle here and it IS a lifestyle.

The company ensures working for EK is a lifestyle by exerting influence over ALL aspects of your time in this place, but they do not pay a premium for that privelege.

It's at the point where a lot of people have decided it's no longer worth the trade-off and are heading home. Also, in all likelihood and although you might think your management are bad, you simply most likely haven't experienced anything like the lying, back-stabbing, cheating, sleazy management we enjoy here.

[Spikedog]

Thanks Buscat. What do EK do to exert influences over all aspects of your life?

It is always very difficult to judge what you read on PPRUNE, so I am trying to get as much information as possible while I consider a move.

[Spikedog]

maimax - I am listening to "colleagues" who try and warn through different threads. The problem is, if I listen to everything written on here then there aren't any airlines in the world that I would want to work for. That includes the UK company I am at now, but things here are not as bad as have been written about on PPRUNE.

I am not willing to gamble my happiness, family life, etc, but I would love to fly the B777 for a few years and earn a decent living from doing so - is this not possible to do at Emirates anymore?

maimax - In an ideal world where would you be working if it wasn't Emirates?