Airline management have levered outsourced labour, greenfield company and subsidiaries as far as the law permitted. The pursuit of lower labour unit cost a preoccupation. The result is terms and conditions heading in one direction for over 30 years.
Unfortunately HR/IR modelling contained a fundamental flaw: The entire thing was predicated on the assumption that there would be a never ending supply of self funded, committed individuals signing up.It will not be the 'effort' of organised labour levering the upwards pressure, it is demographics. Stir in a large financial barrier to industry entry (cost of training) and a small available 'talent' pool and it becomes the stuff of nightmares for airline HR who are, after all, very used to getting their way.
Globalisation had very real detrimental impact on real income and standard of living for the middle classes in all western economies. Senior management (s) love the flexibility, offshoring jobs, departments and industries. Those workers left competing against 'skilled shortage' guest workers..Conditions only went one way
Unfortunately for airlines at least, globalisation is a two way street.