I NOTE with interest your report on our recent consultation exercise ("Consultation of PCS members appears to back independence", The Herald, September 4)

I NOTE with interest your report on our recent consultation exercise ("Consultation of PCS members appears to back independence", The Herald, September 4)

The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) has a clear policy that we will not take a side on independence. Instead, the report, entitled PCS informs - you decide, sent out to our 28,000 Scottish members this week contains answers from both campaign sides and Scotland's political parties to 20 key questions ranging from industrial issues on public sector pay, pensions and jobs and wider questions of an alternative to austerity to tax justice and compassionate social security central to PCS policies.

Our report is entirely factual and any "thumbs-up" contained therein are not "signals from members of the union", but a graphical representa­tion of the answers provided from each party as to whether they agree or disagree with the PCS policy.

In our 2013 survey of Scottish members we were told that more quality information was required on the key issues in the referendum. PCS members are intelligent enough to make their own mind up on how they will vote on September 18 and we stand by the objectivity and integrity of our approach.

Lynn Henderson,

Scottish secretary, Public and Commercial Services Union, 145-165 West Regent Street, Glasgow.