When the chips are down, we all look after no.1 because ultimately no employer is going to do so if cutting costs or going bust. Anyone who's had an involuntary decruitment experience will be looking for what's best for themselves, at which point the seniority system is a problem. Conversely, those that have built up the time and are still incumbent want to keep the system because ultimately it protects them from the competition. You'll never solve the problem because a system that benefits everyone doesn't exist, all you achieve by changing the system is vary who's in the pool of winners and who's in with the losers.