Risk Allocation
What this LOA lacks is appropriate allocation of risk to the party most able to absorb the costs of those risks.
Currently, the risks of executing flights intra Europe and out of Shenzen fall on the company. They fly crews out to the 'domicile', put crews up in hotels, and provide their transportation. This LOA shifts all of that responsibility to the individual crew, and adds MUCH MORE responsibilty, as ellicited on this site.
In any contract neogtiation, there exists the allocation of the risks involved. With the allocation of those risks is the accompaning reward or compensation for the party who assumes the risks. Here, the company wishes to seek great strides in current and future efficiencies through foreign domiciles. But by creating foreign domiciles, the company creates huge risks that heretofor do not exist, and transfers those existing risks to the individual pilot and his family.
What this LOA does not address, are the COSTS associated with the pilots who will take on the majority of the risks involved in improving market efficiences. Those costs may very well end up being transferred to the company due to loss of anticipated efficiences from risks that cannot be adequately absorbed by the individual pilot.
One of the hidden costs that the union and company apear to ignore is the loss of production that follows a reduction in morale. Those of you who have served know full well how reduction in morale in any unit or squadron affects safety and productivity. It can be a factor that spreads faster than influenza in a WWI trench.
I suggest the union get their collelctive act together and approach this LOA from a standpoint of properly allocating risk, and effectively compensating the party who is most likely to take on those risks with their inherrent costly manifestations.