All this business about how lucky we are because we earn more than Eastern etc will become moot in a few years anyway when we're all on E-jets. The Jet scales are there for all to see. JF is on record as saying the Q400s are all being replaced. The company would have to be extremely sure it could stand a long outright war with its workforce should they try to weasel out of it by saying those scales don't apply any more.
I agree I think this deal on offer is likely to be very light on cash and weighted towards giving us a more humane scheduling agreement. This would be very welcome but something which should have been ours years ago anyway not a bone to throw us so they can carry on paying us bottom £.
The elephant in the room though... the new EASA FTLs if they come in as proposed. If those b***ard Eurocrats legislate for 30% more productivity from us, reduced rest etc etc, then (and this applies to all airlines) arguing about 5% here or there goes out the window... I definitely did not sign up for routine 14hr 4 sector early days. I'm nackered enough in the Summer anyway thanks to our lovely rostering. Everything is to be renegotiated as far as I'm concerned.