I agree the principle is wrong, but the way it is being attacked does not have any foundation.
Main arguments are:
a: The pilots are less skilled because they pay.
b: Or it must be illegal to pay for work training.
Regardless from any angle, besides the moral wrongs, it seems that as long as there are to many pilots, supply and demand, we are locked in this problem.
Some will take a short cut, nothing we can do with that is it? Of course if the tide turns, with regards to supply and demand, they will have wasted all that time and money, however if it still rains in another 2 years, they will at least have some more skills then the rest of us. Each and everyone has to decide what risk they are willing to take.
We all know the morally rights and wrongs, maybe they airlines in the past was giving to good terms and conditions, and that they are not able to use the same business model as before. Many airlines have been having to much expenses, and this has been a way for them to survive. Maybe the alternative would have been them being able to employ less people, and there would have been less jobs, and of course less profits, they are not a charity shop!
The market forces dictates what is possible and not, when traveling how many of you have been standing in a queue while someone arriving late with a priority boarding just walks passed everyone and gets one first, he paid a little more, and he might get lucky and wait a little shorter then the rest, but it has cost them more!
Not defending the system, it is just the way the world works - just like on Saturday night in London, if you not on the list, you might not even get in that night until they close, because you have to stand in the longest queue!
Is it fair?
