Absolutely not a wind-up.
Nope, I'm dead serious.
If seniority was dropped as the sole promotional criteria there would be benefits to both the aviation industry and the profession.
The industry would benefit in that as expansion in a company occurred, they could get qualified, experienced people with ease. This would be particularly pertinent if the company was moving to a high performance type or into a different sphere of operations. People with proven experience would be used to ensure that the new operation was set up and a proper operational culture instilled from day one. Being able to import such people would also reduce cost to the company and support viability.
The profession would benefit as it would mean that our qualifications have greater portability. The ability to go to another company and retain a similar or better position means that your existing employer has to fight harder and offer better terms and conditions to retain staff. In the current environment, this should be pretty obvious and its applicability to the NJS situation, plain.
The statement that seniority 'protects' people who might speak out is rubbish; apparenty true in theory, wrong in pratice. I have witnessed during my 24 year career as a pilot FOMs who move goal posts and change promotional rules at a whim so as their "mates" could get a promotion over someone more qualified and dataly "senior". I have also seen pilots who didn't "Toe The Line" neatly side-stepped for promotion by similar means. I also know of a company in WA who employed some very experienced people into junior positions who were systematically bastardised when the they spoke out on safety or operational issues. Seniority didn't protect them and several left in disgust.
The truth of the matter, Square bear, is that companies will always try to promote from within. This is what will give FOs a break for a seat change. But not only that, there is nothing to stop an experienced FO being employed as a DEC at another company. World wide this practice occurs on virually every continent. It's nothing new. I suggest that you open your eyes and consider the possibilities..
(PS: I directly know people who, as experienced FOs, were given a DEC at the following companies: Ozjet, Easy-jet, Ryanair, Hong Kong Express, Viva Macau, Brittania, Orient-Thai and Blue Panorama. There are undoubtably many more. The companies in Oz that either should or will have need to employ DECs in the future are Skywest, Skippers, Network, SAW, REX, Eastern/QF Airlink and Air North).