apaddyinuk,
Instead of simply writing "I earn nowhere near the figures quoted in the press", please post an average for your net monthly pay (including allowances) over the last year and let us judge.
(I've seen the official data on average expenditure per cabin attendant for UK airlines and it gives a figure of £29.9k for BA. The next highest paying airline, easyJet, is £20.2k! Now these data probably include employer NI and pension contributions and other airlines might employ a higher proportion of part-timers but, even so, the gap between BA and all other UK airlines is, rightly or wrongly, remarkable.)
The fact that you have a degree is irrelevant. I have five years' university education but I would not expect my employer to pay me more than a non-graduate if I was a waiter in a restaurant (for example).
Some would argue that if you want a better paid job you should put your degree to good use and work elsewhere!
I'd be very surprised if the vast majority of BA cabin crew could earn as much for the skills they have if they were to seek employment elsewhere.
I think, legal or not, striking workers can be dismissed as they are breaking the terms of their contracts of employment.