Underground safety

While I've always had a relatively good working relationship with Peter Hendy, many of his contributions to the current London Underground dispute are demeaning to hard-working men and women who do a sterling job for travellers. "People behind glass in offices are not helping anybody's safety," he says ( Report , 29 October). Perhaps he would be kind enough to explain why staff working behind glass must hold safety licences and why management are contacting staff whose licences have elapsed, and offering to assist them to renew their licences if they are willing to "volunteer" to work at stations on strike days. And perhaps he would care to comment on the safety role played by those behind glass in the evacuation of tube stations in emergencies such as 7/7. Gerry Doherty Transport Salaried Staffs' Association