I don't think the majority would accept a pay freeze whether execs got one or not. Ordinarily we would have been negotiating the pay rise towards the end of last summer/early autumn, we couldn't because of the pension proposal taking precedence. If we had been negotiating last summer/autumn we would have got around 4.5% or more based on RPI figures at the time, August is normally used and the RPI was 4.8%. Management now has the benefit of the economy being in a worse position now than last summer to try to "manage the union expectations", which they seem quite good at, and get away with a lower rise now than they would of agreed to then.
Don't let the delaying of the pay talks by the pension proposal become a double edged sword and let it reduce the pay rise we would of received.