Undercover. you say -
The intention of this pay deal is merely to keep current salary packages up to date with the increasing cost of day to day life.
Who says that ? The annual pay round addresses all issues associated with pay and not just a cost of living element otherwise we would never need a negotiation. Why otherwise would the unions submit pay claims for raising unit pay for Stansted, extending London weighting, rises for OJTIs and LCEs etc.
Sounds to me as if you are trying to explain the unexplainable management thinking in a rather poor fashion. Maybe that is why we are in this mess.
It was not a difficult decision to vote no for the first time in a decade.