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Leave at EK , fatigue and flight safety.

Middle East Many expats still flying in Knoteetingham. Regional issues can be discussed here.

Leave at EK , fatigue and flight safety.

Old 29th Feb 2012, 10:41
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Leave at EK , fatigue and flight safety.

Ok , so now leave is not guaranteed. In fact you can do up to 22 months without leave . I know of a quite a large number affected by this. Let me explain. A leave cycle is 12 months ( not a year). So if you were unfortunate enough to have had leave at the beginning of the last leave cycle ( say in the first month) , and they only give you leave again at the end of the next leave cycle ,it is conceivable that you can go 22 months without leave !!!!!!!!!! EK seem to think this is ok. Well add 900 hours a year as Captain ( F/o's are doing less) and you are going to experience fatigue on a whole new level ! For me this is the final straw. This airline does not take safety seriously. Your health and family life are not considered ( nor is your contract). Ask yourself is this is sustainable. Forget about having any control whatsoever over your life. Leave for family events, holidays requiring specific dates , ( or any holiday for that matter).More importantly your health and we have to ask, what next ?

management will be forced to allocate leave as you time out ( 75 hours a month is 900 hours a year) So if they sustain the 90 hours plus every month they will be forced to give you two months off anyway. But remember the time in the bunk on the ULR flights does not count towards your 900 hours a year, so you can and will go over 900 hours.

How is this a level playing field to the competition ? How can unioinised and really safety concious airlines really compete ? How can the worlds aviation regulators allow for this type of thing to take place ? When human beings are pushed this hard , they will God forbid make a terrible mistake that is going to cost lives.
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Old 29th Feb 2012, 11:28
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Other airlines can not compete with EK. There are no unions, no CAA or any government agency and no Rule of Law.
In addition to that EK has a 13% Labour Costs due to its huge preponderance on Slave Labour. Most real airlines have about a 35% cost basis so how does any airline compete?
In the very near future you will see countries limit or severly restrict EK access like Canada has so rightly done.
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Old 29th Feb 2012, 16:58
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Is anyone really surprised what Emirates does?
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Old 2nd Mar 2012, 05:00
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Lots of hypothetical situation stuff from Fourgolds but is anyone actually going 22 months without leave?

I don't think the company will let anyone go that time or anything like it without leave. Of course, that means getting leave when you don't want it but that's not the discussion here.

If you're daft enough to do 22 months.......
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Old 2nd Mar 2012, 05:37
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Unless somebody can prove me wrong this is completely against what is written in our contract (as registered with the labour department when we join) and totally in conflict with UAE law. Yes no doubt the Lawyers in the legal department will say it is fine, but that is what they are paid to do
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Old 2nd Mar 2012, 06:15
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Hi all

Not hypothetical at all. I for one have no leave for between 14 and 16 months ( I wont specify the exact period to avoid being indentified ) . So the theory of 22 months ( based on the reasoning I have from the leave lady ( see my first post)is entirely plausible.Even 16 months is just too long.

Bird Brain , tks for the info from the Labour website , but read the very last paragraph on the pasting you provided and like our FTL,s its open to interpretation and EK are choosing as always against common sense in their favour.

So you can go 22 months without leave.

The biggest concern I have is safety. The next thing they will say the FRMS commitee / computer program says its OK to go 22 months without leave , studies have shown bla bla bla. This is really happening to some of us ladies and gents. The company still may assign leave ( if it becomes available , however with my emails to them its not on the cards and has been brushed off , refering to an FCI , time will tell ) , even if it is assigned. What lifestyle benefit is there to a sudden short notice leave assignment.( try booking your ALT 5 days before your leave starts !)

So again they will do what they want. No union/ labour law in a civilised country would allow such a practice. Its not a level playing field and its precisely why the competition and " civilised" society need to fight to protect their interests.( well done Canada)

Like with the current complaints about the DEC policy ( every current F/O was advised about this on this forum) , any one that joins and is affected by this leave policy in the future will recieve no sympathy.

In addition we have to ask , what is next ?
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Old 2nd Mar 2012, 21:48
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Sittingidly you are describing much of the management at EK. If they aren't there yet, they soon will be. I would defy anyone to stay ethical as they climbed the ranks or maintained their VP, EVP, EEVVVVP position at that airline. Simple and sad truth about it is they can.
All you can really do, if you choose to stay, is accept it, because there will never be any credible challenge to it and the airline well and truly knows this.
Save your coins, save your health (press 2), and do your best to save your sanity in the process.
I chose to vote with my feet. The best decision I have ever made and have not regretted it for a moment. Life is so much greener out of the pit.
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