If no-one accepted the pay and conditions, employers would be forced to come to the party to keep their business viable?
Well that was the theory, however Rex showed when at this situation that they were happy to just keep on cutting routes back and cancelling flights than try and retain pilots with higher salaries.
The WA operators were forced by mining companies to pay higher salaries so without that influence I don't know if Skippers et al would be offering any more money either.
Aviation has always been a law unto itself, basically driven by pilots who are desperate to fly aeroplanes. This is very much a Western World phenomena which I assume is a cultural one. Asian countries don't have the same problems to the extent where if the airlines want local pilots they have to advertise and pay for the entire cost of training.