REGARDING your article 'Council workers low pay shock' (LET, February 8), in which Transport and General Workers' Union secretary Bill Morris called for a rise in the national minimum wage, the figures revealed by the TGWU showing the number of local authority workers on less than £5 per hour may well be accurate.

But I know for a fact that there are no members of the union working for councils in East Lancashire who are paid £3.60 per hour.

The TGWU's current campaign is for £5 an hour. Perhaps Mr Morris could use the 'political might' of the TGWU to campaign on union policy, rather than to increase the minimum wage from £3.60 to £3.70 per hour.

Could it be that Mr Morris does not understand the poverty endured by workers on the minimum wage, as I personally do not consider 10p an hour will do anything to improve their position.

Or could it be that Mr Morris's close association with the Bank of England prevents him from arguing for £5 per hour?

Finally, does the timing of his article have anything to do with the article (LET, February 5) regarding my own complaints of financial mismanagement by Bill Morris's administration?

JIM BOWIE, Hill Street, Baxenden.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.