I am not alone in being frustrated that him & his fellow BA employees couldn't see it that way 5 , or even 10 years ago & have BALPA act collectively to press for legislation to stop it in its tracks. Jeezuz, they even carried (or perhaps still do carry ? ) ads in the Log for this Cancer. Surely legislation could have been enacted that required any professional training be provided, and I mean PROVIDED.
I agree entirely with you about the adverts, and I've had the impression that until recently some of the newbie pilot articles in The Log and associated careers advice has been just a tad too sugar coated, so I was pleased to see the current issue has articles about the harsh realities of the current situation.
As for the law, I'm not sure legislation of the type you suggest could have been enacted in the UK/EU
..Wouldn't such legislation fallen foul of the rules on restraint of freedom of trade ( genuine question for the lawyers)?