As always Max, you're on the money from the perspective of this outside observer.
My read is that your management is hell-bent on a fight during the XMAS period. The disruption to the general publics' holiday plans would not elicit any sympathy - you'd be painted as a bunch of 'union thugs' holding the travelling public to ransom.
I think that it's their last "shot in the locker" and, from what I've read on your website, I don't think that the guys that run Civil Air are that stupid. Regardless, there will be provocation to encourage industrial action - rising to the bait would be dead-set stupid.
To paraphrase an aviation legend, "I am sure you will agree."