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I thought mattyj was a bit simple in his argument, but you are even simpler.
Ansett NZ - the endgame was a lockout, but it was a strike that started it. I remember it well, I was asked to come back from Europe to help out (which I didn't do, by the way).
An airline is like any other business, driven by supply and demand. The lesson of other, more competitive airline environments, is that if an airline is really desperate for pilots, salaries soar. I first went to Europe in the late '80s, and in the first year I was there, my salary went up by 35% - simply because it was the only way the airline could retain pilots.
You guys like to witter on about "pilots leaving in droves", but the reality is that if the NZ Link bosses were that concerned about pilot attrition, they would take steps to stem the flow. They aren't as stupid as you like to think they are, they know that without pilots they have no business, and if they have no business, they have no jobs.
What they are good at, is out-thinking and out-psyching the pilot work force. They seem to have you well under control.
And as for pilots working leave days and days off, well welcome to the real world, kiddies. That is absolutely standard in virtually every commuter airline in the western world.