"I never accepted crap conditions although I have signed a contract far inferior to what a lot of the senior guys in the airline I work for are on"
Sloppy
You need to educate me here, all of the companies I have worked at have a contract. The contract sets the work rules, training and pay for everyone. So if you are new and join the airline the company cant just lay a new contract out unless it is agreed on by the entire pilot workforce and then everyone follows the new contract. How are companies having different work rules, for different pilots based on date of hire? I know this has happened at Cathay, but that is china and I dont think unions are legal there, I might be wrong? HK might have different rules as well? Does this sort of thing happen in the UK? This isnt an attack on anyone, just trying to understand how is works.
If pilots are allowing management to to do this they are being short sighted and are part of the blame. But wannabes have got to stop paying for their training beyond FATPL. Its simple supply and demand, there are not enough willing to stick together and limit the supply when the industry does get better.