Imagine you were selling a car for $10,000. You’d like $12,000 and can get $7,000 from a dealer.
Someone says to you to take $6000 or they have another car they will buy that’s actually cheaper.
Would you
a) Take $6,000?
b) Tell them they should buy the other car?
c) Wait to see if they come back with a better offer knowing you have $7,000 already?
Aside from being ‘told’ there is a deadline, is there really? Pilots don’t but Qantas have a major history of outright lies and mis truths. I’d suggest if it was a ‘major’ deadline (and not a threat) this deadline and all the contract work would have been worked out many months ago.