Tribal - Well said. Hopefully your advice will be heeded.
Pepi72 - Having been in charge of very large maintenance workshops in the mining industry when awards were replaced with EBA's, I have some experience with the emotion involved in industrial relations. I'll probably rave on a bit here but the use of the word "Scab" riles me up. Please listen to me when I say that referring to people as "Scabs" is counterproductive & will result in people who may support you in private being unprepared to support you in public. Australians are generally reluctant & embarrassed to be seen as radicals, & the term you use so freely is considered by many to be derogatory, defamatory as well as inflammatory. I personally have consoled a person who's house, car & boat were burnt to the ground due to the escalation of emotions caused by someone being called a scab.
I suspect that you won't really care, but I was embarrassed to be an Australian after reading your comments, & you might want to take on board some of the comments from the UK posters.
I am an Aussie pilot who has done the floor sweeping like a lot of others on my way up & had considered throwing my hat in the ring for offshore work here at home. In one post you have convinced me that I should continue working overseas, as the people are very welcoming of Aussie pilots where I work. Throw a few more rants out there & soon you will be the lowest paid & only native on your crew, not to mention more than a little lonely.