You're own enemy - idiots!
As an experienced F/O with a nice salary/contract it is easy to get complacent and sit back and take the money.
It has however, over the last few years, been evident that the 'bottom' of the market is effecting the 'top'.
Pay and Terms are being squeezed from the bottom up.
All this extends (IMO) to the CTC type contracts that started in around 1998. Indeed this was just when I started looking for my first job.
Being a man of principle I rejected the 'pay for rating' and 'work for peanuts' way of doing things.
Eventually a nice airline with similar principles took pity on me and offered me a job on a 757 with nothing up front and a £15K bond over 3 years.
My brother however is not so lucky. He has been asked to pay £18k up front despite his 2000 hours experience and only get a temporary contract. He has had to borrow my (retired) mums life savings to do.
I have questioned his reason to do this and its the same as it was 10 years ago... EVERYONE ELSE DOES SO I HAVE TO AS WELL!
WELL SHAME ON YOU ALL!
I LAUGH IN YOUR FACE AT THE SITUATION YOU HAVE CREATED FOR YOURESELVES WITH YOUR SELFISH ATTITUDES!
and now the whole industy suffers. Look in the mirror and smile at your £100 per hour contract with no job sercurity and wonder why?????????!!!!