I WRITE in response to the letter printed in last week's Independent, Union Action Will Put Lives at Risk.

o Does the author really believe that firefighters nation-wide are proposing to take industrial action because of cessation of NHS payments?

o The LFCDA is proposing many more changes that will result in a deep erosion of our conditions and consequently a reduction in our standard of living. Surely something we all have a right to defend.

o Maybe they would prefer to revert back to slavery and while we're at it let's get those kids back down the mines.

|MARTIN DEVINE,

|Hurst Drive,

|Waltham Cross.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.