Joedirt appears to be correct....CHC led the way...then BHL pilots found the courage to force the issue on pay rises.
Found this excerpt from a Rotor and Wing article....
CHC Scotia’s pilots already have accepted a salary increase. The package, announced November 19, gives captains an £18,000 (US$25,847) raise over the next two years and a £6,000 ($8,615) pay hike for co-pilots during the same period. Beginning with the third year, all pilots will receive a programmed cost-of-living increase of 2.5% or the UK rate of inflation, whichever is greater.
In late December, Bristow pilots also voted to accept a deal sponsored by the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA). Bristow air crews will receive basic pay increases up to £20,765 ($30,000) beginning in September 2004.
The contracts for both CHC Scotia and Bristow pilots will help ensure that the pay scales of helicopter pilots working in the offshore support sector will be brought in line with those at the airlines.
The current UK shortage of support helicopter capacity, combined with increases in pay scales, are reflected in recent increases in ad hoc hourly charter rates. Rotor & Wing has learned that the new rates are: $5,600 for an AS-332L Super Puma; $6,500 for an AS-332L2; $4,800 for an S-61N; and $3,800 for an S-76A+.