Seniority is the only fair way of running it but must be implemented at the very beginning. Ignoring seniority is the quickest and the most effective way at destroying moral I am aware of.
You don't see the large carrier crews squabbling like children in public do you? In the civil world seniority is a must. The most senior employees in a company need to have first crack at promotion etc..
I do however believe NJE have been very fair in the way they have handled the economic crisis as regards to surplus of crew by giving people at choice of
JS, early retirement etc. . A lot of outfits could learn a real lesson from this.
Once a crew member has been made redundant, for whatever reason, the chances of them returning if given a choice will be very slim.
I have been the victim of "passover" and an ignorance of the seniority system.