MR Edwin M Bibby's letter (LET, August 5) shows commendable and understandable anger at the lack of protection for working people, the closure of post offices and council tax charges. But his attacks on the trade unions was in my opinion unfair and over the top.

There are a significant number of relatively new trade union leaders, such as Bob Crow of the railway workers, Mark Serwoka, public sector workers, and Andy Gilchrist of the firefighters who, after being involved in bitter dispute last year are heading for another dispute due to the interference of government in the wage bargaining process.

None of them, by any stretch of the imagination, could be described as "puppets of the establishment."

Mr Bibby makes light of the anti-trade union legislation brought in by the past Tory governments and continued with New Labour.

It would be madness for trade unions not to be conscious of the fines and crippling costs that can be charged if unions fail to comply with these punitive and vindictive pieces of legislation.

Public sector jobs will continue to have the wages and terms of conditions cut due to privatisation and all UK workers at the end of their working life can look forward to a miserly state pension, unlike the premier league salaries, holidays and pensions of their parliamentary representatives.

There is a world of difference between Labour governments of the past and the New Labour government of today.

Mr Bibby needs to direct his justifiable anger against the government and the supine Parliamentary Labour Party that is supposed to hold it to account.

DON RISHTON, Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn.