Yes totally agree. Where were they indeed?
For the last 12 years BAPLA and the IPA have been at best sound asleep on this, at worst complicit.
Compare the terms and conditions of train drivers and tube train drivers with that of pilots.
Whilst many on these forums hate unions, I think the railways are a good example of what a strong active union can do to protect T&Cs. How quickly do you think ASLEF would accept people going to their local preserved railway and learning to drive a train and then paying Virgin to let them drive their pendolinos?