Salary & Job changes
 

So with the government's recent clarifications about the options available to employers during this time being:
- Implementing a remote work system
- Granting employees paid leave
- Granting employees unpaid leave
- Temporarily reducing salaries during the aforementioned period
- Permanently reducing salaries

What do you think your fate will be?

Mrs Millhouse is almost certainly heading towards 50% pay. I'm ok for six months but I'll probably know later today the general direction of what happens in six months time.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

What's this; "or going in under the 20% rule" ?

I'm option 1. Still working, still being paid, just got paid in fact, hoping it stays like that for a while.
Hoping we don't go near the bottom of that list.
Paid leave doesn't make much sense to me.
I'd take a pay cut and reduced hours for a few months if it kept a job long run.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

We're ok for now but for how long who knows . I'd take a cut in basic up to keep the job . The Mrs is in a school so it's all aboard the sinking ship there . No overheads , no kids for us so a pretty easy call .

Even in 2009 you could do a runner !

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

Option 1 for me.

Company has come out and said they are not even considering reducing staff (here or globally) and have said they have a war chest big enough to last until the end of the year at the least....

For an American company they are 'saying' all the things we want to hear. Time will tell tho.

Thankfully I'm still 100% booking to projects at the moment as I have a load of design reviews for Etihad Rail coming in on an almost weekly basis.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

That is the scary thing....even before this happened you saw many people moving/living in Dubai on crap packages and on the bones of their arse.

These same people are now stuck in an expensive city, with no way to leave and and unforgiving laws when it comes to money. I expect there is a fair few people having sleepless nights right now.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

Agreed , there's going to be a lot of casualties here . worse than 2009 . The bottom line is that too many people can't afford to be here . Its a big price to pay for that Instagram shot at Zero Gravity.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

That's the scary bit.

I know people who won't be able to put food on the table next month unless something changes.

There's a lot of thick-as-shit Brits out there who can't even figure out if they need a facemask to go to the supermarket - half of them not working and trying to arrange zoom-meetups while living on the wife's teaching assistant salary.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

That said... for some (including me) - it's much cheaper for me to live in Dubai right now than the UK. Rent is all paid up for another 8 months (with no way of getting it back), My total DEWA bill is about 1/2 the total bill in the UK (i.e. electric, water and tax). Food, expensive but probably only a little more than the UK - and if you cook everything (which we do), then it's probably about the same, or cheaper.

Life here is only expensive if you start going down the services and deliveries road.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

Just because I love fact checking you and thrills are extremely hard to come by at the moment.... Having moved to the UK from Dubai in the last 18 months, I would observe the following.

Food in the supermarkets is less than half what it cost in Dubai (noting that I have swapped an adjacent Spinneys for a nearby Aldi - I prefer the Aldi, though of course it doesn't have the same variety). Quality is generally more reliable here, especially on fresh produce. However, you don't get the same range of international brands widely available. I do miss Lesieur mayonnaise....

My average monthly total utilities plus council tax (in a Labour London borough) are only about 10% higher in the UK than Dubai even though I live in a much bigger property here with twice the number of occupants.

Internet is much cheaper here - about a third what it costs in Dubai for basic broadband and phone line - though no better quality in my experience, even with Virgin optical fibre connection. While there is plenty of competition, they are all equally mediocre (ditto on utilities I guess) - I have tried three different providers at this point. But it keeps prices down and it seems they may even get lower. TV packages are a bit cheaper here I think but I haven't needed to subscribe to any pay TV here because there are so many free to air channels (over 100) and all the big broadcast channels have very extensive libraries in their free streaming services. Sky Sports plus BT Sports, both of which you will need for all the Premiership and champions league matches (should they ever resume) might be a bit more in total than BeIN sports. But there are other ways to see those matches.

I don't own a car (which I guess isn't really an option for most people in Dubai) so I can't compare costs on that. My sense is that it is higher in the UK but not by that much overall.

Rent really depends on where you live and what kind of place it is. Even with the decline in rent in Dubai, i think in most places, except maybe central London, you will get more for your money in the UK.

And free schooling and healthcare in the UK (well apart from all the little bits that you actually do have to pay for...).

And recourse to the law, by and large.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

Have to agree for once with Miss Anne. Quality of food is much better at the shops, especially produce. Social activities are also cheaper. More dinner parties whereas in Dubai it was always brunches or expensive nights out where people thought nothing of dropping 500-1,000 on drinks and food.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

so you missed the bit of my post “right now”

Anyway, each to their own - I spend about 600dh a week on food and 2000dh a month on bills all in here.

in the U.K. it costs around 1000 pounds a month to keep the family house running and fed.

These numbers are pretty similar.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

Just to say, EK will be operating selected flights from 1st May, LHR for example.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

Really? That's the plan or just a guess? Surely it's hard to predict?

Anyway, are you in Asia now or in Dubai? How's things?

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

Still in UAE, Vietnam stopped all entry to UK pp holders a couple of weeks back, I was due to start on the 1st April, put of indefinetly.

Quite annoying really.

However, EK is correct, look on their site.

Re: Salary & Job changes
 

I've just booked a flight on May 22nd. Chap on the phone said... I've booked it but there may be some changes.

If I do get covid and don't die from it then I've done a social good. Herd immunity is at 60%; we can't all be in the 40% so I've saved one of you lot.