Opening statement: "It was the unions understanding, that as per the award, the company/employer must cover all costs associated with operation of the aircraft, this SHOULD include the pilots medical, asic, charts, ersa etc."
The award has never covered medicals and the union should know this as the union is responsible for never putting it into the award in the first place back when unions had sway. Also, back when unions had power the union did nothing to stop those that took advantage of new pilots looking for a way in at any cost. In other industries it used to be nearly impossible to work for less than the award even if you were willing.
There has been a fair bit of comparison to the carpenter earning his 100k but no mention of the four year apprenticeship that he did in order to get that pay rate. As an apprentice, he was paid a percentage of a tradesman's wage, increasing each year as his skill level and so ability to make money for the boss also increased. During those four years, he was indentured. He could neither quit or be sacked without great difficulty. He was considered staff so could not strike or take part in other industrial action. He did have his tools and other needs met by the employer.
Now this was all a long time ago and I'm sure that an apprentice is paid a lot more percentage wise than he was paid in the past. I'm also sure that there are a lot less apprenticeships available now than in the past, maybe not actual numbers but openings relative to the number of tradesmen employed. Join the dots.
If you wish to make comparisons between pilots and other trades or professions, first you have to find another comparable position but there simply is no other profession that makes for a good comparison. Tradesmen do apprenticeships, professionals go to university, pilots do neither at present.
Nurses turned their career into a recognised profession by introducing the need for a degree to take part. Nursing used to be on the job training, now it requires university. There used to be plenty of nurses and their pay was not great. Now they are in short supply and despite what they say, they are on a reasonable wicket. Perhaps the status of professional pilot needs to raised in the same way. At present it is going backwards to the point where pilots pay to be interviewed and airlines have high jacked the term cadetship and turned it into another revenue stream instead. A cadetship should describe a situation where a company provides training and opportunity to an individual with the expected return coming by way of return of service in the years that follow that training. The airline industry's idea of a cadetship is not even close.
If you choose to take part in this industry, do it with your eyes open.