So they should just take a pay freeze because the media cant operate a calculator properly or indeed do any research whatsoever?
You're missing the point. The QF pilots are being slaughtered in the court of public opinion because of how the wages claim is being perceived - and this will not change. Sooner or later, somebody will rerun the "glorified busdrivers" line.
Only by dropping the wages claim (for now) will anybody listen to your pleas re off-shoring.
You can always come back to the wages claim later. The priority right now is the off-shoring.
To leave the wages claim in there is dumb and invites the slaughter to continue. The media and public will soon lose interest - their minds will be made up (that it is all about the pay).