Letters: look beyond the label

Dear Editor

Anyone who proposes a solution to a work/life problem from a trade unionist or socialist point of view is rapidly given the label of ‘trouble-maker’ or ‘agitator’. This tactic is far easier to use than advancing an opinion on the issue.

Industries and businesses want to make as much profit as possible, employees want decent wages and conditions of employment and it is inevitable that a dispute will arise at some point over these issues.

Sensible employees have a trade union organisation to speak for them while the employers normally belong to an organisation that supports them. Sometimes no agreement is reached, and the only option left for the employee is the withdrawal of labour which, as a free person and not a slave, he/she is fully entitled to do.

This is where the tactics of giving labels is stepped up by some media to isolate the strikers in the eyes of the general public. This negative approach is used not only in disputes but across a wide range of issues that affect all our lives.

Despite this, however, much progress has and can be made if one looks beyond this divisive tactic and realise that next time, it could be you.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

14 units: that’s your limit

Chief medical officers update advice for lower-risk drinking

grog

Men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week to reduce the risk of diseases such as cancer and liver disease, under new guidelines issued by the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers (CMOs). Continue reading 14 units: that’s your limit

Heart Zone: for anyone who has a heart

New information resource launched

heart

People in Edinburgh who are living with a heart condition now have a new source of vital information and support. The Heart Zone, which has been developed on Scotland’s national health information website, NHS inform, provides a range of information and resources to support the self-management of heart disease and a range of inherited and congenital heart conditions. Continue reading Heart Zone: for anyone who has a heart