A matter of seniority
Danny
You are without doubt our senior officer, please don't mind if we consider you as OC as well ... you're certainly kingpin of the thread. (Remember kingpins? They formed the stub axle pivot and when they became worn the front wheels became knock-kneed and the steering became even more vague. Those on our 1948 Austin 16 required lubrication with gear oil (definitely NOT grease) every 500 miles!
I think you are correct about the labourers' pay as this was the reason for the aircrew taking such exception. My father recalled that some of them would idle all day in order to obtain weekend overtime. No extra pay for the crews, of course, even if they survived to collect it.