No set structure

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

It is hardly surprising that The Times Higher can discover anxieties among lecturers' union Natfhe staff in the week when my heart condition forces me to announce that I will not be standing for general secretary of the University and College Union.

But the diagrams purporting to portray the future management of UCU bear about as much relation to the staffing structure of the new union as they do to the management of the England football team after the World Cup ("Factions fight for key roles in merged union", February 17).

TheJcaveats in minuscule print stating that the matter is still "subject to continued negotiation" did little to allay the overall impression that The Times Higher had a scoop, whereas it had a transient document from last October.

The Times Higher piece showed no consideration for the sensitivities of the staff involved in a merger.

Still, the photos were quite nice.

Paul Mackney General secretary, Natfhe