"..The current pay situation has absolutely **** all to do with the pension vote,.."
maybe not, but the same thought process that turned Union 'dry powder' into 'damp paste' will prevail for a second time with the pay vote. In the current climate, you can forget all about the bravado, fighting talk and standing together. The reality is that, irrespective of any offer, the majority of members will be individually voting to try to retain their most important asset - their job. This will apply particularly within NSL, (which is rapidly floating off down !!!!! Creek) and more especially right across the non-ATCO NATS workforce. What they will not do is go down the road of taking industrial action to 'stand and fight' as is so often bantered both here and in the workplace. Talking about strike action is one thing - actually going on strike is quite another.
As we have seen with the pension issue, when push really came to shove, the majority didn't have the balls to go through with it. It will be the same this time around, too.