BEING of mature years and no longer gainfully employed, I was glad not to be faced with the dilemma that confronted many employees last week.

We had the Scottish Government, through the Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, regularly referring to the weather alerts escalating from yellow to amber and then red. Travel in the red areas could, it was reported, involve a threat to life.

The dilemma arose because, while some employers in the red alert areas took an enlightened view and thought of the wellbeing of their employees, others adopted the policy of advising their employees that absence, because of the weather, would lead to deductions from their pay.

As a result, some set out at considerable risk to get to work or be faced with reduced wages, which for some could be ill-afforded during the ongoing period of austerity.

Mr Yousaf states that he is to have discussions, as part of a post-event review, with representatives of haulage companies with regard to the movement of essential and non-essential goods during severe weather.

I would suggest that he also have dialogue with employers who threaten their employees with docked wages for non-attendance at work, particularly in areas subject to a red alert (“Minister hits out over plans to dock wages”, The Herald, March 5).

Ian W Thomson,

38 Kirkintilloch Road,

Lenzie.

ONCE again, nature seems to have provided the ideal opportunity for the ever-popular blame game (“Inquiry call into ‘failure’ to keep the trains running”, The Herald, March 3). A week ago, people were complaining that more should be spent on the plague of potholes, and now the howl is for more to be done to prevent the problems caused by snowy roads.

Why were there not more snowploughs; why were they not out ahead of the snow; why were the roads not better gritted and so on?

It is easy to criticise but this has been an extremely unusual weather event. In fact, I believe that the roads were treated ahead of the expected bad weather and continuously thereafter but the grit and salt mix is ineffective when covered with the dry snow that fell.

The blizzards blanketed roads faster than the gritters and ploughs could work. I saw this for myself as I watched a snowplough clear the first light covering and spread grit on our road, which was then completely covered over again before the plough had passed more than 20 houses.

Besides, this is the first such period of severe weather for nearly eight years. What would the public response have been if councils had invested in twice as many snow-clearing vehicles and they had lain unused during seven milder winters? Would we not have been hearing about wasting money that could have been used to mend potholes?

Of course, we will hear next about a lack of preparation for flooding as the snow melts. But council budgets are not elastic and decisions must be influenced by probability.

Then there are the shortages of essentials in shops. Is it too much to expect that folk should prepare themselves with a few extras bought in advance such as extra milk and a loaf or two (which both freeze well), a few tins of food and some additional items in the freezer, rather than wait till the last minute when the snow has already arrived.

Have we lost our ability to forward plan? Is it always someone else’s fault when we are caught out?

P Davidson,

Gartcows Road,

Falkirk.

DR Gerald Edwards has another rant regarding the inadequacies of the Scottish Government, this time blaming it for not clearing the snow as it fell and thus enabling problem-free transport services to continue throughout the blizzard (Letters, March 5).

Warnings were continuously given by Humza, Yousaf, Transport Minister, and the Met Office that travel should not be undertaken unless absolutely essential when the heavy snow was imminent.

These warnings were ignored by many drivers, resulting in the inevitable chaos. The clearing of shelves in supermarkets was another example of the panic buying which is so common when any temporary shortage of a particular commodity becomes public knowledge (“Shelves fill up again after weekend panic”, The Herald, March 5).

I am surprised to find that Dr Edwards is not having any difficulty in finding big enough sticks with which to beat the Scottish Government. Presumably the traffic chaos and multiple cancellations of rail services in England and Wales also rest with Nicola Sturgeon’s incompetent governance.

Methinks Dr Edwards should lighten up a little as all this angst must be having an adverse effect on his health and we know that the last thing he would wish for would be to fall into the inadequate care of the NHS.

James Graham,

Cochno Road,

Hardgate, Clydebank.

THE recent blizzards had not occurred for about 50 years. Why do we need to blame somebody? There is no sense buying extra snow ploughs or other machinery for weather conditions that occur only once in a blue moon.

If councils invest in extra machinery for weather we get once in 10 years, they have to pay to maintain this equipment. You can’t just buy vehicles and keep them in a garage; if they hadn’t been maintained they would be useless the next time you wanted to use them. This storm was an act of God. Sue Him if you want.

Margaret Forbes,

Corlic Way, Kilmacolm.

IT will be Mothering Sunday next weekend but, given the state of these airts, I cannot see any celebrating taking place. There is so much snow on Hume hill that we do not know where to put it. We are almost entombed in it.

Nevertheless I have given some thought to what I might like to be given, come Sunday, and would be delighted to receive a flame-thrower, a snow-blower and a snow plough; all preferably gift-wrapped. With instruction manuals, of course. I have gone off chocolates just now.

Thelma Edwards,

Old Comrades Hall,

Hume, Kelso.

I AM an octogenarian with arthritic knee joints and I would like to express my thanks to all who offered me assistance of any kind during the recent spell of inclement weather.

W Findlay,

20 Kenmure Drive, Bishopbriggs.