If he was'nt turned down I can only think it's because he did'nt apply.
On a more serious note, BA pilots do deserve the quoted 30% rise, at least. They have tolerated small rises for years and these savings to BA have been squandered by mis- management. They now lag behind the world and have some catching up to do.
FR and the others will eventually follow. If the BA pilots are successful the market rate in the UK in general will rise.