BusterHot and biddedout thanks very much. Sounds promising.
The point about bargaining power is understood. It's not possible for me to relocate and I have other responsibilities. A full time roster would be a disaster but part time quite workable. I appreciate the point about losing bargaining power once in the company. The 'square' bond give the company a big stick. However, airlines often lose a lot of pilots during and following a merger and this ups the ante as regards terms and conditions. I've been there before and know what sort of things get said at board level.
I assume that 70% means 'five on five off' and you fly flat out for the five days? No problem with that but I need the days off.
I shall continue to watch things closely!