Oh dear! I fear for the health of my old friend, Trevor Alford.

His letter is about academy schools, although his tirade about the 1970s blames Labour for fuel queues (actually due to an international crisis), power cuts (early '70s, not late) and so on.

When he finally gets to the actual subject, he accuses unions of ‘running schools’ – never done that and never will, as it’s not our job.

As for academies now ‘free of the corrosive public sector union influence’, Trevor might want to know that UNISON has over 90% of support staff at PACA, BACA and Whitehawk Academies as members, and the NUT a similar number among teachers.

‘Corrosive’. I have no real idea what Trevor means by this.

However, as all three schools are still on national pay, then, yes, we are balloting our members for strike action on October 14 – they are low paid, part time, mainly women workers, and like the rest of us they have seen Trevor’s Government effectively cut their salaries, already low, by some 15% since 2010.

Trevor – you might wish we had gone away, but in spite of all your party’s vindictive laws, your cuts, and, frankly, the mess that Mr Gove has left our children’s education in, we are still here, fighting for fairness and equality...oh, and providing decent schooling in the worst of circumstances.

It is our members who do the work that raises the grades that you refer to!

Alex Knutsen UNISON Town Hall Brighton