Nobody looks down on them. We are all aware that they are skilled colleagues in this industry trying to make a living.
Look, being replaced by cheaper/more efficient labour is regrettable but inevitable in a free market in the long run. Everybody gets that, ”legacy employees” or otherwise. Hence the overall continuous downward pressure on t&c in the last two decades.
What ”legacy employees” are having a problem with in this particular case is being replaced by more expensive labour, as is the case with SAIL.
There simply is no justification for it, other than dividing the employees into as many little groups as possible with the sole purpose of diminishing their negotiating leverage.