I WISH to reply to Tony Taylor's letter that Labour "are not and never have been the working man's party" (Letters, May 21).

Mr Taylor must have forgotten the following facts. This Labour government has delivered the first national minimum wage and increased it several times. Recently a commitment was made to extend the protection of a national minimum wage to workers aged 16-17.

Furthermore, Labour introduced legislation to give unions the right to recognition, as well as introducing right to sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal - not to mention many other benefits in the workplace.

It may also be worth pointing out, in response to Mr Taylor's "working man's" utterance, that around 70 per cent of those who benefit from the national minimum wage are women.

I ask Mr Taylor what his alternative would be? Labour has done a lot for workers' rights. Things may not be perfect, but they are damn sight better than they were for workers under a Tory government.

Rory Palmer

Fossgate, York.

Updated: 11:21 Monday, May 24, 2004