Guys, don't blame the young ones(500hrs or less) for taking a job like this if it's offered to them... They are just doing the best they can and it's probably much better than most offers out there for them. How much is an LH cadet on the hook for? If they accept, then they accept the salary degradation for themselves as they have to pay back but are getting in much sooner then they otherwise would.
I am not supporting this, but you guys in your "association" need to stand up for your profession as well as the future pilots. Its your airline. Its just as much your job to stand up to your employer in this issue as it is the young ones. But then you have a rich history of sacrificing your young to ensure your better terms up the list don't you. You ask the young ones to sacrifice but not one of you is willing to put your own job on the line.