Published letters represent the views of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect those of the3towns.com. All letters submitted for publication should bear the name and, at least, the usual location of the writer, although, on request, details can be withheld.
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Council pay offer
Dear Sir,
Your report of last week about the pay deal proposed by Council bosses says it all about who is footing the bill for the fat-cat bankers (Council leaders impose ‘pay cut’ on workers - News, 28/08/10).
As you reported, local councils are offering a take-it-or-leave-it deal of a rise of 0.65% this year and nothing for the next two years after that. As you pointed out, that is a pay cut, not a rise, because inflation is much higher.
So council workers and everyone else in the public sector is being made poorer and is being made to pay for bailing out the banks, but the bankers are still being paid their huge salaries and are still getting bonuses.
It’s time we fought back against this scandal. We should be hitting the streets in support of council workers. They didn’t cause the economic crisis, and they shouldn’t be paying for it.
Kevin O’Connor
Ardrossan
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Dear Sir,
I can’t believe Council staff are being expected to work for less money. That is what a 0.65% increase means.
the3towns.com pointed out that inflation is running at more than 3%, so any wage increase below that figure means workers will be worse off.
If North Ayrshire Council needs to save money, they should start with some of the high earners at the top of the tree.
George Patterson
Ardrossan
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Dear Sir,
It seems you really couldn’t shame a politician. After the Westminster scandal and the local SNP MSP employing his wife and charging the public for his stays at his pal’s hotel, we have the leader of the local Council enjoying a salary and allowances increase while he expects Council staff to take a pay cut.
Unbelievable!
Karen Millar
Ardrossan
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Dear Sir,
It is absolutely scandalous that North Ayrshire Council expects its staff to take a three year pay cut, as you reported last week, when the Council Leader, Cllr David O’Neill, is having his salary and perks raised.
What will we do if the Council workers go on strike? We need the Council staff to look after us, we don’t need greedy politicians like David O’Neill.
Mary Duncan
Stevenston
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Dear Sir,
Regarding Councils only offering staff a pay increase of 0.65% over the next three years.
Your article was slanted in favour of the workers, but Councils have to operate in the economic conditions we find ourselves in. There is no point workers demanding large pay increases when Councils don’t have the money to pay them.
I’d rather have an increase of 0.65% than no increase at all. Or worse still, losing my job.
John Hall
West Kilbride
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Car park monitoring
Dear Sir,
With regard to last week’s story in the3towns.com about people monitoring local car parks (Car park monitoring sub-contractors couldn’t speak English - News, 28/08/10).
I note the3towns.com asked both North Ayrshire Council and the company employing the workers who couldn’t speak English whether or not they were fully compliant with UK regulations for working in this country, and that both the Council and the company avoided answering the question.
Does that mean they had something to hide or do North Ayrshire Council and Streetwise Services Ltd also have a problem understanding English?
Alex Beattie
Stevenston
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Dear Sir,
Like the reporter from the3towns.com, I also saw Streetwise Services workers in Ardrossan. They were taking the car registration numbers of cars parked in Princes Street. The cars were not in a car park, they were parked on the street.
So if the Council claims it is monitoring car park use, why were these people taking registration numbers of cars parked on the street?
John Higgins
Ardrossan
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Dear Sir,
Regarding your story about contractors carrying out a survey for North Ayrshire Council into car park usage in the Three Towns.
Why are the Council interested in who is parking in car parks and for how long? I thought the Council was skint. Maybe, though, the survey is to see if they could get away with charging for parking in local car parks and how much they might make.
If that is the case, then local taxpayers are paying for a survey into whether or not we can socked for more money.
Barry Henderson
Ardrossan
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Itsy Bitsy 30-year discrepancy
Dear Sir,
Almost fell off my chair when reading Itsy Bitsy Teenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini was a number 1 in 1990 - surely this should have been attributed to Bryan Hyland who first recorded it in June 1960, where it went on to be a number 1 in August 1990.
Shame on you, making me think I was younger than I thought.
Eric Storrie
Qatar
Middle East
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Then and Now
Dear Sir,
I have been enjoying the3towns.com’s ‘Then and Now’ feature, with old photos of local areas contrasted with how they look now.
Am I alone in thinking that places looked much better in the old photos, even though they are in black and white?
It seems to me that there was much more space in the scenes shown in the old photos. We seem now to be crammed into wee boxes for houses and you can’t cross the road for cars and buses.
And before anyone suggests it, no I don’t personally remember when the photos were taken around 100 years ago.
Jim Ferguson
Ardrossan