I WRITE to correct your article (Echo, July 18). Only a few Unison members turned up for work in Darlington to defy the strike. They were outnumbered by the non-union members who joined our strike.

The most vulnerable people were looked after by our members, who were granted an exemption from strike action to provide home care, residential services for the old, children, people with learning difficulties and school crossing patrols. We also provided emergency services to prevent any risk to life and limb. I will remind you that some of these members are facing redundancy because the council is closing the older persons' homes. In addition, the other caring services face the threat of privatisation.

The strike was a day of action to show our potential power and the role we play in supporting the community. We were able to close all the nursery schools, four of the comprehensives, Beaumont Hill School, the libraries, and the Arts Centre. There were no refuse collections or any street cleaning and the council's parks had no gardeners.

From Unison's point of view, it was a great success. We now hope the national employers will make an offer that will bring the pay of our lowest-paid employees to over £5 per hour so we can spare the public any further disruption. - Alan Docherty, Darlington Unison branch secretary.

I WAS interested to see the picture of pickets outside Eston Town Hall (Echo, July 18).

We are all familiar with the expression "every picture tells a story", but I know that this one portrays a falsehood.

The Eston Town Hall picket originally consisted of four individuals who left at midday. The mass of individuals in your photograph all turned up en masse at 12.45pm, stayed long enough for a photoshoot, which must have been their only reason for turning up, then promptly left at 1.20pm.

And now for the cherry on the cake. If the photograph had been taken face on, it would have clearly revealed the Hartlepool Unison and Hartlepool GMB banners. It was simply a case of flying pickets seeking self-glorification - incidentally, aren't flying pickets supposed to be illegal?

The number of protestors was also contrary to Unison guidelines in respect of this strike, which specified a maximum of only six pickets on each picket line.

Widespread support? I think not, but it appears that central government aren't the only ones to appreciate the value of manipulating the media and 'spin' in general. - Name supplied, Guisborough.

IT ANNOYS me to see council workers and others who have been offered wage increases of three per cent demanding up to six per cent which, if given, would only add to inflation. Pensioners have had to cope with an increase of 1.7 per cent, in line with inflation. How do they strike to increase their benefits? - AR Tatman, Darlington.

IT SEEMS a strange coincidence that on July 17 the low-paid council workers call a strike and Durham County councillors print their allowance list showing their earnings as councillors. - M Barton, Darlington.

THE claim by Charles Nolda (HAS, July 19) that only 'a minority' of workers took part in the strike is arrant nonsense. Support for the strike was solid across the whole region as the media reports confirm. Perhaps Mr Nolda's obvious inability to add up is what is preventing the employers from giving realistic consideration to the plight of their low-paid workers.

He says that three per cent is all that councils can afford and claims that any more will result in job losses and higher council tax. What he omits to mention is that councillors' allowances have risen by an average of six per cent - sometimes higher.

How many councillors have we lost? What is the extra cost to council tax payers? Mr Nolda is silent on this subject.

The unions' claim is a just one - the employers know it, the Government knows it and the only way forward is for the employers to re-open negotiations. - Lynne Robson, Unison Regional Head of Local Government.

REGIONAL ASSEMBLY

AFTER five years in power, the Labour Government has reverted to type with over centralisation, over spending and over regulation. In contrast with Labour's past pre-occupation with socialism, Tony Blair's sole objective is a European federal state of regions and the abolition of the nation state.

The proposed regional assemblies fit neatly into the European Union's plan for a Europe of regions, not nations. The proposed removal of planning powers from local county councils will remove at a stroke the rights of local people to determine their own destiny, undermining local democracy and encouraging additional development.

Local people should be under no illusion that this proposal will result in less local democracy, not more. Remote regional assemblies will make decisions that should be made locally with dire consequences for the protection of our countryside and green belt. - Philip J Duly, The Freedom Association, Surrey.

DESPITE spending millions trying to induce Britain to join the euro, the chances of a referendum saying yes, get more remote.

In a German magazine, the Nobel- prize winning economist Milton Freidman predicted that "euroland will collapse in five to 15 years' time", due to the one size fits all interest rate.

The Government's continued talk of a referendum without giving any convincing reasons to join may just be a smoke screen, while it works at getting regional assemblies accepted.

People should be aware that regional assemblies will be dictated to by the EU from Brussels, as their funding comes from EU structural funds, thus rendering our own parliament virtually powerless. - J Heslop, Gainford.

RUBBISH

IF there is to be an additional charge for anyone putting out an extra bin bag for collection, will the council give a rebate to those living alone who only fill one bin bag each week if they only put out their wheelie bin every month or five weeks? - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.