Referring to "market forces" seems so logical and fair.
Yet everybody with even the slightest knowledge of airline crew Ts&Cs knows that we are in a world-wide race to the bottom.
Dictated by those same market forces.
A good union manages to slow down that race by carefully negotiating the best possible Ts&Cs for both existing and future crew members.
A good CEO tries to guarantee a return for the shareholders, a future for the company and thus future employment, and Ts&Cs reflecting the value placed on the company employees.
Looking at the current BA dispute, it seems that both parties have miserably failed to fulfill their respective tasks, and blame for the resulting shambles can be firmly placed in both camps.
Still and all, pointing to the CC Ts&Cs of low cost airlines as an example is completely besides the point in this dispute.
BA is not Scum Airlines, its CC are not the slave labourers employed by Scum Airlines, nor does anybody here presumably wish them to be.
Market forces play their role, but like the current economic crisis demonstrates, unchecked market forces are a dangerous beast.