A proper promotions system should...
I couldn't agree more with this.
On the other points:
therefore a new 737 Captain will have to be less than that
Your argument falls down here because this is not true. The
VB group just wouldn't vote for a pay cut. Currently these are still two separate businesses as far as EBAs are concerned and neither have any influence over the other.
using overseas airlines as a gauge is always going to be overly simplistic
Whilst I agree with this in principle I do also believe that it is important to note because these other airlines are the competition. If they have a lower cost base due to lower wages then IF you want to compete you can't be asking for wages too dissimilar. I think this is where QANTAS is going wrong. Their wages are extremely high in comparison. Look at the BA rates I posted, whilst Sydney is expensive so is England! However, you did say to compare Jetstar and Q. Jetstar widebody pay currently around $190000, I think Q are above $300k (correct me if I'm wrong).
I'm not trying to argue for lower pay I am just trying to formulate a tight argument for justifying a particular pay scale.
A lot of the arguments don't hold water for example the debt at the end of training easily compares with a uni degree per the following "A members survey by the Australian Scholarships Group found that the average total education costs for a three year degree was $39,466 for a HECS student and $51,034 for a full fee student. Students in six year courses faced average education costs of $82,602 for HECS students, and $106,717 for full fee students."
In the end I want to be on the maximum sustainable pay. That is, I want my company to grow and be profitable. The best argument I can think of at the moment and I dont have any figures is to show the revenue you generate by carrying the passengers and use that to justify more cash. Using intangible reasons for higher pay can only be a small part of the overall argument I think.
This is way OT and I am musing more than anything.