With respect, sitting by a pool in BCN is not quite the same as slogging back and forth to DME with 80 Club. I know which sort of work I prefer!!
I appreciate what you're saying. However by way of example, Narita used to generate massive allowances for the pilots in box payments, etc for a destination which had little to offer beyond the "Truck". When we moved to the hourly rate, surprise surprise, all the junior guys who had wanted to do the Narita "money" trip got to do the trip regularly but without the cash. Most hate it. What was assumed was that the senior guys would then bid for the "cheaper" destinations (India, etc) to maximise their cash, however what actually happened was that weekends off became the new "senior trip" for many when the monthly take home pay evened out.
Likewise on shorthaul when destinations matter less, I can predict my take home pay within about 5% each month, before I bid - and I'm junior.