ON January 6 the Evening Telegraph reported Mike Damms, chief executive of the East Lancashire Chamber as saying that figures we had used in a campaign on unpaid overtime were misleading.

I have known Mike for a number of years and we work closely together on many matters, for instance, within the North West Regional Assembly -- and we more often agree than disagree.

On this occasion, I am sorry to say, I believe he has got it wrong.

Our figure of over 350,000 workers in the North West who regularly put in unpaid overtime is based on the official Labour Force Survey, which does take account of all the factors that the Chamber has raised.

Moreover, this is a light-hearted attempt to highlight the problem of long hours and low productivity in UK workplaces, both issues well and truly proven by official statistics.

It is not about clock watching or working to rule and it's not about having a go at employers. It's about bosses saying thank you to their staff for their hard work.

No decent manager should have a problem with that and I look forward to working with Mike and the East Lancs Chamber to encourage all employers in East Lancashire to be forward looking and recognise that their staff have lives too!

ALAN MANNING, TUC North West Regional Secretary, Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 BUD.