I think (and hope!) that Steve was having a go at the lamentable situation for trainee pilots at the moment. I think you might have missed his point.
There are turboprop operators in this country who will put you in the RHS of a Shed for £14k a year. When you hit 1500 hours, some of you might be pressurised to take a command you are not ready for, and for not much more money.
It's not that a train driver isn't worth £23k - they have as much responsibility as any airline crew - deliver x-hundred people from A to B without killing or injuring any of them. It is that some companies take the **** with terms and conditions in civvie aviation.
And let us not forget that in the days of the 509 course, you could go from zero hour Joe Bloggs to F/O Joe Bloggs in a 757 in under eighteen months. Train drivers get three (I think) years of training before they're let loose.
Train crews do stick together as an industry, much better than we do. You might disagree with current tactics, but how many American or Candian registered trains are operating on British railways, crewed by foreign staff because 'we don't have the number of qualified people available for Summer, and oh, by the way minister, do you mind if we keep them on for another few years cos it'll cost us a lot if we don't' ??!!
But, anyway, who wants to operate a vehicle down pre-defined routes, not being able to deviate from your pre-assigned course. Who wants the possibility of ending your career with one mistake or constantly being assessed every few months ? Nah.. not me.. I'll stick to flying <img src="smile.gif" border="0">