We need to petition BALPA and make the general public aware of what is going on. In the USA they are at least starting to talk about stamping out pay to fly and the hiring of inexperienced cadets over FOs with plenty of experience.
I was made redundant in the Summer with a great deal of time on both 'Le Bouse' and turbine, I haven't had a sniff at a job since. I'm seriously starting to worry that the industry will result in the right hand seat being available to cadets with enough cash to fund their 'hobby' for 6-12 months before the next lot of fresh faced, dough eyed kids come in and take it from them. Then what? We'll see people paying for another 500-1000 hours on type, then paying for a command upgrade!
We need to follow the American's lead on this. The public have been made aware of what is going on with pay to fly at places like the Gulfstream Academy for Gulfstream Airlines etc. Now the FAA are changing things. Luckily my wife is a yank and as soon as the economic tide starts to change I will be hauling myself out of this car crash that is the UK airline industry and I'll head to the USA to be paid 60% of what I used to be on over here.
Thank God I have other sources of income, otherwise who knows where I'd be right now.