The wage bill will go up, but Dixon and co. keep saying that it is $300 million or so over the next 3 years. I think these figures are rubbery because there are some eba's that are not even 1/2 way through, and there are others still to be negotiated. Those that are 1/2 way through are not going to get an automatic payrise overnight just because the engineers might. They won't have a chance for 5% till their next eba.
As I've said in other threads, there are very few unionised groups within QF that have the show-stopping leverage to negotiate higher rates. Sadly, the 5% if achieved by the LAMEs would not flow through to all 38,000 staff, no matter how deserving.