As long as pilots in Ryanair continue to look out for their own personal interests rather than supporting their more junior collegues then pilots will continue to be undervalued for the work they do.
If a low time FO is willing to accept 18K (I like the way the pay is IEP and bond is STG btw....nice touch!) then it follows that s/he will accept a lower salary on getting a command....think about it. It's all divide and conquer tactics.
I would rather take a non-flying job than be bent over by Ryanair.
Guvnor: you were never a pilot-> that's patently obvious.