whilst I sympathise with your argument, this was known since the 2 year deal was agreed ...
See the orange employment notice(cant remember the number) and it says in there that 2001 annual rise would be paid in May salaries.
As the "deal" was to be 2.25% or an RPI based formula (if greater) then they would not have got the RPI figure for march in time to run the increase anyway...
I have worked for CAA/NATS a long time and I remember that we regularly never got rises agreed til October or even later...
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"I cleared you for take-off, I didnt give you squatters rights"