CB
I apologise if I am wrong in this, but I can't help thinking that you are missing the point of how a union works - it can be any union in any industry, be it airlines, railways or coal mines.
You are the union. You can't just say "here's my two percent, now sort it out" and expect someone else to solve your problems. Your company council should have already done a survey of members to see how many would have supported industrial action before they went to the negotiating table. Then they would know how strong their position was. If you and every other member didn't say yes, and mean it, you might as well give up, because without the support of the membership the company council and whoever your full time negotiator is can achieve nothing. They know it and the management know it. A union can only achieve concessions from management if the managers believe that there is a chance of industrial action. It is the unions nuclear deterrent, and without it, even if you don't intend to really use it, you cannot win.
If your analysis of the three pilot groups in flybe is correct, and I'm sure it is, then you are not going to achieve anything. All you will get is what the management want you to get. Last time it was substantial pay rises for Dash captains and trainers because of pilot retention problems. But you got that because thirty pilots a month were resigning at a time when they couldn't easily replaced. Now there are no end of potential F/Os champing at the bit to increase their flying hours who would happily take £21k and a three year bond for a job on a Q400. And I would also suggest that there are plenty of unemployed experienced pilots who would be happy to step into the left hand seat given the oppportunity, even if they do have to go from earlies to lates and eat pot noodles - £52k plus flight pay is far better than £65 per week job seekers allowance.
I suspect that for all the rhetoric in this thread, you will be lucky to get more than a rise in line with RPI, and probably not even that.
And also remember that outside of the flybe bubble the UK is facing massive spending cuts in the public sector. It is going to be short of policemen, nurses, doctors, firemen. Don't even mention the armed forces. Unemployment is going up every day and everyone with any sense is worried about their jobs. How much support do you think that the public will give to a bunch of striking airline pilots ruining their travel plans because they are not happy about being the highest paid turbo prop and regional jet captains in the UK. They won't be hooting in support of your pickets like they did for the firemen.
Jim French knows that. He isn't stupid. I suspect that the company council knows it as well.