The P2F or work for peanuts scenario is simply a vicious circle of attrition.
I'm happy to bet most the gents talking on here have plenty of industry experience behind them, some have probably enjoyed the good ol' days and watched the industry change and crumble around them. It's desperate times for most folk.
You have person 'A' who went with their dreams, paid a fortune, got their tickets and went out in search of that dream job. Most aren't lucky and end up searching for a long, long time. Person A comes up against the same questions "have you got a TR?" "have you got much experience?"... Person A can see the dilemma, how do I get experience if i cant get a job, how can i get a job with low experience.. Whats the next best way to encourage someone to go employ you... How the hell do i pay all these bills?... undercut the current crew, work for peanuts and get the experience. Better yet, to stand out and have a better chance of a job go and get a self-funded TR then when someone is looking for crew they will have a closer look at person A above the other pilot who has no TR and no experience.
The airlines saw they could get away with this when young lads were that desperate to land a job in the right seat they would pay for the lot, accept appalling terms and ask no questions..
It was mentioned before that most companies/departments are feeling the pinch.. so when a person walks through the door, heaps of enthusiasm and making it clear they will happily work for next to nothing and be loyal for giving them a chance, what do you do?
Its a nasty vicious circle, the rot is setting in now. It would be great to ask all the crews, airlines & corporate to close ranks and demand change, but the truth is there are folks out there who are so incredibly desperate to pay bills & land that dream job that they will go to any lengths to make it happen, no matter the cost to themselves or the industry...
Its unlikely to change for quite some time... please remember, trying to find a job right here and right now is worlds apart to how it was 15 years ago... if high time jet jocks are having a tough time finding any manner of work, think of the little guys who are new to the industry, they got no hope.. so how do they manage it?