PRUDENTIAL is not being very prudent in its plans to transfer its call centre to Bombay. A wise company, as well as guarding its profitability, puts its customers and workforce first.

Customers, by and large, would much rather deal with someone who is at least in their own country, not thousands of miles away on another continent.

As for the workforce, they can only feel anger and deep disappointment that their skills are considered of so little value to the company that they are being ditched purely on grounds of saving on wages.

Profits or no profits, companies based in Britain should put our own people first, both as recipients of services provided and as employees. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

FIRE SERVICE

WITH the fear of the armed forces and Green Goddesses returning for firefighting duties, I wonder if serving firefighters would return the favour and be happy to take an infantryman's wage and serve wherever you may be sent.

Of course, you will be safe in the knowledge that when required, your SA80 rifle may not work, your boots are not well designed for all climates and your clothing and other equipment are way past their sell-by date.

Firefighters should not spoil their reputation as well-respected members of the community by blindly following militant union leaders, who are simply glory-hunting troublemakers. - J Tague, Chairman, Bishop Auckland Branch, Conservative Party.

MAY I enlighten John Young (HAS, Sept 14) on a few points which are fact, not fiction.

Firefighters can retire at 55, based on the large slice of wages taken in pension payments, which is in their contract of employment.

This deduction is considerable compared with other industries and services - the police, for instance.

He would indeed appreciate what firefighters do if he were to go to an accident involving vehicles on the motorway. How would he cope with the sound of screams coming from a burning car, and having to remove torsos from the wreckage?

How would he cope with seeing his workmates crushed by a falling wall while looking for casualties in a building or, indeed, pulling an articulated vehicle from a wall which had crushed and killed the driver? These are just some examples of the call-outs my son has been to in his 27 years as a firefighter.

I worked in private industry for 51 years until retirement and I could not cope with the mental and physical job firefighters do.

I am also not aware of any perks they get. - Name and address supplied.

IN reply to John Young (HAS, Sept 14), I would just like to point out that all firefighters who are in the pension scheme pay 11 per cent of their salary into the scheme. This is the highest amount paid into any public sector pension scheme, and is only equalled by the police.

In fact, the majority of financial adviseors promoting private pensions are surprised at the large amount we pay. So next time he is wondering why we get double the pension that he gets, the answer is simple, we pay a large sum into it.

With regard to knowing what graft is - the number of incidents with terrible consequences that I have attended are too numerous to mention, but we need not ask those working on building sites, shipyards etc, as he suggests, as these were the previous occupations of serving firefighters. - K Bell, Ebchester.

FOOTBALL LINESMAN

MANY would consider the case of the police sergeant who is also a football linesman ridiculous.

We must question those in authority who seem to be abusing the confidence and trust of those who foot the bill.

Your comment (Echo, Sept 19) seems to suggest that public servants who are often over-stretched by staff shortages in very demanding jobs for which they are not paid enough, are the only ones with this problem, and that stress is their prerogative.

The Northern Echo was right to print the story. While stress may be an illness many of us do not understand, there seems to be too many incidents in certain public sectors. - John Young, Crook.

I CANNOT agree with criticism of The Northern Echo's report of Sgt Miller taking part in a top-class football match with the full backing of his doctor as part of his treatment for stress.

Surely it should be the last thing he should be doing, with the travelling to the match, plus the tension of the screaming and noise of thousands of spectators.

I would have thought that, for stress, you should be looking for peace and rest. - F Wealands, Darlington.

I THINK that the attitude of senior officers of Durham Constabulary regarding Sgt Miller is absolutely appalling. How they can condone an officer on sick suffering from stress assisting to referee a high-profile football match in front of a national audience? - PT Robinson, Darlington.