I think you need to be careful comparing wages between countries
What is the cost of living
What are the conditions - both working and living
For example - you might earn up to 100000 UK pounds per year working for Ryanair, but that doesnt equate to 100000 pounds converted to OZ dollars say 250 k AUD - the buying power isnt there
PLUS you pay for your uniforms, you pay for your airport parking, you pay for your manuals, you pay for your sim, and they treat you like ****
Emirates is the same - you appear to get well paid and not taxed BUT you pay a lot in indirect taxes, you can be slung out of the country at any time (you are a "guest" in their country), you have to work long hours and dont get any more days off that
VB pilots currently do - and your not living in your own country
As for the US.
The glory days are gone there.
Was talking to some US Airways pilots the other day and their wages have DECREASED by 40% in the last 2 years.
A comparison with Australian conditions
An Embraer Captain in the US makes about USD 60K from what I am told
Should Australian pilots push for more? YES
Should Australian pilots regard themselves as hard done by? No probably not
As for Coles wages - there are actually people raising families on what Coles pays - we are not doing so bad in comparison
My point is be realistic - dont sell yourselves short, but dont push so heard that you get nothing...know where the line is