I WAS shocked to read today that David Lammy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, has strongly opposed the potential strike by British Airways check-in staff at Heathrow (“Labour refuses to back threatened strike by BA check-in staff”, The Herald, June 27). He believes their claim for a 10 per cent pay rise is exorbitant; I’ll be generous and assume he simply doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.

BA took full advantage of the Covid crisis by making thousands of loyal, long-serving staff redundant and slashing the wages and terms and conditions of those who remained. All the check-in staff are asking for is for the 10% taken from their pay scales to be restored. Heathrow is extremely busy and BA expects to return to profit this quarter, so it seems only fair that some of that profit goes to the front-line employees who made sacrifices during the difficult times, rather than in bonuses to senior managers.

Back in the 1990s, trade union leader Bill Morris described BA as acting like a Victorian mill owner; it appears nothing has changed. If Labour can’t bring itself to support low-paid workers in these circumstances, it really is adrift at sea, with neither principles nor values. The party is turning into New Labour 2.0, just like the previous version but with a boring leader.

Doug Maughan, Retired Captain, British Airways, Dunblane.

• WE all have some sympathy for our workforce seeking an increase in their income during these times of almost unprecedented inflation and in particular for those providing service to the public like those in the National Health Service.

However, such sympathy wanes when a section of the workforce seeks to hold the nation to ransom. The strike weapon should be a weapon of last resort and should be seen as a failure on the part of the negotiators.

Negotiation is a two-way street in which one party seeks advantage but must consider the ability of the other to concede. Mick Lynch is reputed to have a pay package in the region of £120,000 a year and his salary will continue to be paid while the sabotage which he foments is causing a loss of income to hundreds of thousands of people who want to work but are disrupted in access to their employment by his refusal to compromise with the economics of the industry in which his members work.

Higher salaries have to be paid for and compound the problems of inflation. If rail costs are uneconomic more traffic, both passengers and goods, will go by road and fewer staff will be required on the railways.

Peter Christie, Newton Mearns.

TIME TO END GUGA HUNT

SANDRA Dick ("Fears for isle tradition as avian flu scuppers annual guga hunt", The Herald, June 25) perpetuates the myth that this annual slaughter of young gannets by the men of Ness on Lewis, is somehow “traditional” when it is largely a modern escapade. Perhaps she can explain why modern diesel fishing boats, bottled gas, modern navigation equipment and so on is considered “traditional”. No rowing boats, oars or effort involved as used in the past.

It is also not “hunting” since the young gannets, at the nest, are incapable of flight. This is nothing more than a gore-fest.

Unfortunately this “tradition” is rubber-stamped annually by NatureScot when it should be banned completely. As Ms Dick points out, the hunting of seabirds was outlawed in 1954. Somehow this mass killing has slipped through the net.

The gannet chicks clubbed to death are not the size of a “small chicken” but rather the size of a well-grown turkey. The “hunt” is of no consequence to those other than the killers and the overkill of 2,000 nestlings is abhorrent in this day and age.

To say there is no effect on the breeding numbers on Sula Sgeir misunderstands that gannet numbers from all other colonies in Britain and elsewhere circulate and will often settle into colonies far from their natal site. Some of my Ailsa Craig ringed gannet chicks now breed on Bass Rock, in Iceland and in Arctic Norway.

No one here can criticise the Faroese who butcher thousands of dolphins or pilot whales every year while this massacre occurs at our back door. Now is the right time to end this unnecessary practice for good.

Bernard Zonfrillo, Glasgow.

IMPOSSIBLE TO SPEAK OUT

I AGREE with the main thrust of Elizabeth Crombie’s letter (June 27) about men speaking out on gender recognition. However, as a reasonable and free-thinking 70-year-old man it’s almost impossible to “speak out” about gender, or pretty much anything else without being accused of misogyny, racism or sexism.

Life in Scotland as a 70-year-old male is best lived avoiding opinions lest we are savaged by those of a different view, particularly on social media. One of the most common replies I hear now is “oh, you can’t say that any more!”

George Orwell’s 1984 is possibly the most frighteningly accurate book ever written. We have the thought police controlling our daily lives. The future may see a rebellion but my fear is that if it happens, it won’t be pretty.

Reason and free thinking are not part of the Scottish culture any more, we can only pray it returns. Am I allowed to say that?

John Gilligan, Ayr.

A WORD IN HIS SHELL-LIKE

ANENT the ongoing correspondence on pronunciation, I find a connection with R Russell Smith's troubles about his perhaps prematurely buried tortoise, Frisky (Letters, June 27). In Scotland, tortoise is pronounced tor-toys, in England, tor- tis.

A video of one of these pets owned by a sibling reveals that they can oft be extremely frisky, and at Dr Smith's age, might be taking him for a walk.

Many a true word is spoken in jest.

David Miller, Milngavie.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

ROSEMARY Goring might as well accept that as publishers know, titles will sell because of the name on the jacket ("Judy the novelist? Please spare me the celeb writers", The Herald, June 22).

The fact that the late Barbara Cartland acknowledged that she employed 18 “secretaries” tells us that the public in general neither knows nor cares how the works are actually produced.

I remember a celebrated footballer being interviewed on radio. At one point the interviewer said: “I enjoyed reading your autobiography. It must have taken a good deal of time and effort.”

“Nah. Posh geezer came and asked me some questions.”

Robin Dow, Rothesay.