28/11/02

The employers had offered 16.1 per cent, which would have prevented this strike action. Mr Prescott stopped it, stated that he hadn't and then tried to put the blame for the strike on the employers, on the firefighters, and on the Fire Brigades Union.

His latest show of disregard for the public's safety was to block a resolution to the dispute. By refusing to talk at the 11th hour (even if it was at 5.30am), he proves the Government has no interest in safety, nor the main issue of fair pay for firefighters.

This is not a fight about money, it's a political wrestle to bring down the unions, which make up the only body preventing the public services being torn apart.

At a guess, 99 per cent of people are happy with the fire brigade's service. It is the only emergency service that can get to your house quicker than a pizza delivery, and treats every call as a priority.

Why the Government wants to make cuts - sorry modernisation - and destroy it is beyond me.

- Dave Ibbertson, Darlington

THE reason local residents are without adequate cover from the fire brigade has to be laid fairly and squarely at the Government's door.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the firefighters' claim, and I for one don't think it is justified without radical changes in working practices, the Government should have been prepared.

The sanctity of the picket-line obviously clouded ministers' judgements. If Mr Prescott wanted to find a settlement, it would have been easier if the union knew he was willing to have troops train on real fire engines and make the equipment available.

Tony Blair sees this dispute as his miners' strike but, unlike Margaret Thatcher, he has no adequate contingency plan.

His ministers have little credibility with the union and he has failed totally to maintain the sort of fire emergency cover that households and businesses have paid their taxes for.

- Jonathan Scott, Darlington

IN 1940, the Press termed me a Dunkirk hero. Today I am an unsung OAP with a pension of £4,206 a year. Vicars and nurses, with years of service, receive about £19,000, which is the amount given to a rookie, untrained fireman who has yet to be exposed to hourly danger.

The cost of the firefighters' £30,000 claim to me will be 20p per day - only half a pint of milk - on my council tax. I'll have to cut to one pint every two days.

As I do not expect even a four per cent rise, I'll draw on my Army field experience for my Christmas dinner. A hedgehog cooked in earth and a baked potato will cover a festive plate.

- Harry Whitton, Thirsk,

North Yorkshire

TONY Blair's resistance to the firemen is in striking contrast to his indulgent attitude to spiralling boardroom pay, in some cases over fifty times that of firefighters; to billions of pounds of unpaid tax by corporations and others with offshore accounts; to the million-pound Christmas bonuses of city dealers, whose only risk is wrist strain from shuffling other people's money; to the hundreds of millions of pounds handed out to shareholders of failing privatised industries; and the dreadful costs of a contemplated war.

Clearly, there are plenty of "pots of gold" around for some. While inequalities in Britain grow ever wider, it becomes clear that what this strike is about is what kind of values we want in what kind of society.

- Ken Richardson, Wolsingham, County Durham

IN the article "Ticked off for honking to back strikers" (Echo, Nov 16), I was surprised that you chose to make a headline out of the anti-social behaviour of seemingly responsible people.

As a hospital worker, Helen Ward should have some care and consideration for people living in the vicinity of fire stations, including babies, elderly and the disabled. How would she feel if people were honking their horns outside her house at all hours?

The article also seemed to criticise the police for doing their job. I always thought The Northern Echo was eco-friendly but obviously it isn't when it encourages this anti-social behaviour.

- G Blood, Bishop Auckland,

County Durham

OUR hypocritical Government is not prepared to invest in our fire services by readjusting the salaries of firefighters whose duties and skills have clearly increased in recent years.

The Government threw out a possible settlement on the grounds that it was uncosted. Can I ask, therefore, whether the proposed military action against Iraq has been costed and whether it is financially (or morally) sustainable, given the nation's resources which, ministers say, are close to breaking point?

- Bryan Johnston, Eaglescliffe, Teesside

Each year, millions of pounds is wasted on unelected Government quangos, whose only function is to provide employment for the spouses, relatives and friends of MPs. Their dissolution would free taxpayers' money that would not only give the firefighters a pay increase but would also allow significant pay increases to other nurses and teachers. There could also be enough money to provide significant increases in state pensions.

- C T Riley, Spennymoor, County Durham

FIREFIGHTERS say they deserve a rise because they are not paid as much as MPs.

To continue this argument, MPs could say that they are not paid as much as David Beckham, and midwives could say that they are not paid as much as Cilla Black. And while firemen claim to be treated so badly, hospital patients can complain that Jeffrey Archer is treated far better than they are.

All I can say is when I was working nightshift down the coal mine, I was not provided with a bed as are the firefighters. Finally, I do wish the firemen would stop moaning.

- Paul Clifton, Haswell, County Durham

I HAVE just watched a brilliant flim-flam speech by Mr Blair. He is at his best when trying to pull the wool over people's ears and eyes. But it was noticeable that he was uncomfortable when it came to why MPs are worth 40 per cent and firefighters are not. I know who I could live without.

- Ian Crammond, ex-Magnet Kitchens Strike Secretary, Darlington

THE firemen want the same terms MPs voted for themselves: huge pay increases, job security and second jobs. They also want the taxpayer to foot their greed and lifestyle. Other public workers will want the same in this fantasy era.

- N Tate, Darlington

THE general public knows little of modernisation. When firefighters say they work 42-hours a week, this should really be "hours on duty" as beds and blankets are provided for the night shifts and there are standby times when the television is on.

It is unthinkable for a nurse or other public servants to arrive for nightshift, get undressed and go to bed saying: "Call me if there is an emergency." Yet it happens in fire stations.

- E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill, County Durham

THE Government is quite right to reject such a large pay claim as it would open the floodgates for other workers, which would destroy the British economy by causing rapid inflation.

The firefighters also reject a restructure of their service as they sleep at night at the fire stations. Working only two days and nights a week allows them to take a second job. They can't have their cake and eat it. Why not give the most up-to-date red fire engines to the armed services and send the firemen to Iraq?

- J Potter, Newbottle, County Durham

FIREFIGHTERS say they are asking for £8.50 per hour for a 42-hour week. This works o ut at £18,564 a year. The figure of £30,000 a year amounts to £13.73 per hour - a vast difference.

- Peter W Elliott, Eaglescliffe, Teesside

The Bain report was not accepted as independent by the Fire Brigades Union. This is because Bain led to the introduction of a minimum wage, where the voice of the employers was listened to and the unions were ignored.

If there was to be a fair settlement, it would have been appropriate to bring Acas in. It is the recognised arbitrator between unions and employers.

All negotiation is a trade-off between what both sides want. The workers want better pay, and the employers want greater efficiency.

But we have now reached a position where it seems that the Government intends to bring about changes much greater than what would have been negotiated. We have to wonder why. Is there an agenda behind it all that goes beyond normal collective bargaining?

I think the Government wants to slim down the fire service so it is ripe for privatisation.

- Geoffrey Bulmer, Billingham, Teesside.

Sir Bobby Robson

FOLLOWING your front page story about Sir Bobby Robson receiving his knighthood (Nov 22), I would like to congratulate him on his football career.

But what puzzles me was that, as a 15-year-old in the mines, he crawled along a 100 yard coalface 18 inches high to get a broken down coal-cutting machine. This was about the time pits were nationalised, so let's try and put the tale right.

I am 77, started at Lambton D pit in 1939 just before the war broke out. I was not even riding the limbers at 15. I also worked with my marrers on seams under two feet on long wall cutters. For a cutter to break down 100 yards up a face, it would be near the tail gate or the main gate, so where the 100 yard crawl comes into it, I don't know. - J Holmes, Houghton-le-Spring.

DOUGLAS HALL

CAMERON Hall accounts finally turned up at Companies House in July after a delay of six months. They show an operating loss of £90m to November 2000. They also showed that Douglas Hall was the highest paid director who increased his salary from £78,000 to £327,000 while enjoying the luxuries of Wynyard Hall, the ancient seat of the Earls of Durham who employed thousands of people in the North-East.

The accounts also show Mr Hall bought five cars from Cameron Hall, the company losing £58,000 on the deal. The company then bought back a car from Mr Hall for £200,000.

On November 18, a shareholders' meeting was held in London by major shareholders of Newcastle FC plc company. Small shareholders wished to discuss why Douglas Hall had awarded himself a rise of 374 per cent to £524,000 and Freddie Shepherd had awarded himself 154 per cent to £591,000. They noted that in contrast that directors at Sunderland FC received a total payout of £500,000 in salaries. - Bernard McCormick, Newton Aycliffe.

MIDDLESBROUGH FC

THE national press on Monday gave glowing praise for Middlesbrough's tip-top performance on Saturday, but from The Northern Echo, our local paper, we got nothing but negative stories regarding Massimo Maccarone and Geremi. There was hardly a hint of praise for the football being served up at the Riverside these days.

Boro fans have been used to the sniping of the southern media whenever we have been doing well, but it's much more painful when The Northern Echo follows that path.

As the Guardian stated: "Maccarone is on a hat-trick waiting to happen." He was so unlucky on Saturday and far from the zero-confident player your writer Steven Baker claims, he never stopped looking for chances and just needs a break to start scoring again.

By the way, is your Fans' Forum contributor Ray Large really a Boro fan? Week after week he seems to be knocking the Boro players. His view that Maccarone should be dropped is the daftest yet!

I'm not advocating blind bias but give us Boro fans a break - don't spoil great weekends by Monday morning let-downs. We come to work for that! - Alan Tinkler, Eaglescliffe.

REGIONAL ASSEMBLY

AS A sixth year architecture student at Newcastle University, I am theoretically designing the building for a future North-East Assembly.

Durham is the obvious choice for its location, and my chosen site is the former ice rink - an easily accessible location and an opportunity to add a building of civic importance to a neglected area of the city.

I have also spent time considering the future of the Debating Chamber. If the assembly is going to be accepted, it needs to respond fully to the people it serves and not appear as yet another level of bureaucracy. The chamber could be replaced by a multi-functional space that will be in use all days of the week by all members of the community.

If this is to be a building truly for the people, "a Voice for the Region", why can't we move forward, away from tradition and set a precedent for new regional government buildings across the country? - Lianne Vollans, Newcastle.

ASYLUM SEEKER

YOUR report on the 20-year-old asylum seeker who drove a car which killed a pensioner stated that he received £89 weekly allowance and was housed (Nov 16).

I am a 71-year-old widow and receive a weekly state pension of £78.45, this includes some graduated pension. I have no other benefits or income support because of savings.

My late husband and I worked and saved for our old age, bought our home, paid taxes, etc and now I am penalised for being thrifty. - Pensioner, Name and address supplied.

URRA VISTA

AT THE head of Bilsdale in the North Yorkshire Moors there is a small quarry. On the rock faces a talented sculptor has done a series of carvings. These include several birds, a head, a dragonfly, a Celtic knot and the words Urra Vista. I would be grateful for any information regarding these works of art.

For several years I have been photographing rocks on the North York Moors. Included are crosses, boundary stones, waymarkers, direction markers, memorial stones and inscribed stones. These may be seen on 222.nymstones.uka.co.uk. - ME Frisby, 1 Mayorswell Close, Gilesgate, Durham City, DH1 1JU.

STROKE CLUB

I WAS very distressed to read that the Durham Stroke Club, which has just celebrated its 20th anniversary, is in danger of folding unless more volunteers can be found (Nov 9).

As a retired speech therapist who has worked with stroke sufferers in a hospital setting for many years, I can vouch for the benefits of a stroke club following discharge from hospital. For some, a stroke club may offer the sole opportunity for meeting fellow sufferers and for practising skills in a safe and happy environment. The possibility of closure of the club is a tragedy. I hope volunteers can be found to continue the good work. - J Mitchell, Gilesgate.