Whatever happened to Oldham Council’s fair employment charter? After Oldham Council spent £30 million of public finances and took out loans for a further £7 million you would not expect the first three tenants at the town hall cinema and Parliament Square to pay minimum wage rather than joining the council’s living wage scheme and fair employment charter. This clearly demonstrates both the council’s lack of influence, poor negotiation skills when dealing with private business and their questionable ethics always being quick to lecture on socialist co-op politics but not so hasty to call businesses to account who do not join or to admit their own policy and spending failures and double standards. We made the point four years ago that this development would yield more low-skilled minimum wage employment for a borough that has now suffered over a decade of the lowest average pay in Greater Manchester and claims the sixth highest rate of tax credit in the UK.

 

 

 

Oldham’s Fair Employment Charter

“As a Co-operative Borough we want to build a fair and prosperous local economy where everyone does their bit and everybody benefits.