Here in Germany one of the guys from the upper management mentioned that it's not the ATCOs (or operational staff) earning the money, the guys writing the bills are the ones.
Guess it is the same view in every company, the management sees the controllers as a overpaid bunch of lazy guys, not following their visions for a brighter future. Even the problems between the 'low band' and 'high band' ATCOs seems to be the same, as far as the pay differs, the whining of the guys that the union isn't doing enough (however the won't leave the sideline and would offer to some work for the union) is like a refrain from the tunes over here.
Good luck for the negotiations, get as much as you can, holding back wouldn't be honoured in the future. But I'm an outsider and it's your 'game'...
Saigor