Gents (600ft lb, Aeromedic): That is the KEY reason behind introducing salaries. It preserves and protects what the guys who do the work get paid regardless of how many hours they spend on the job. As such the focus shifts from being about hours in attendance to work completed. If you get paid the same for doing the same work in 75% of the time the incentive becomes all about finding the efficiencies to get the job done.
Again, to be clear, pay rates are not the problem. I can't comment on what it is like today but previously the pay rate differential for a SIAEC LAME and a QF LAME were not major contributors to cost problems.