Bankrupt the country

TO SUGGEST that people earning £32,000 are forced to use food banks is patently ridiculous.

If that were the case, retired people without the cushion of private pensions to top up the state allowance would be huddled in shop doorways begging for scraps of food.

I’m not suggesting nurses, teachers and paramedics don’t deserve a pay rise, but they, and the Government, have to be realistic in agreeing to an appropriate level. To meet all the demands of the striking workers would bankrupt the economy and throw millions into unemployment and homelessness. VALERIE GOODCHILD,

Bangor, Co. Down.