Local building jobs for local workers

TWO Oldham councillors are demanding that local jobs go to local people after revealing that foreign workers are being used for construction work in the borough.

Labour Councillor Dave Hibbert and Liberal Democrat Councillor John McCann say ensuring that building jobs are done by local residents will help the borough through the recession.

They claim that European workers have been shipped in to a building site in Chadderton instead.

The call follows wildcat strikes across the country over the use of foreign labour at Lindsey Oil Refinery, North Lincolnshire that caused anger that local labour was being ignored.

Both councillors have influence in the building sector as they represent Oldham on the board of Housing Market Renewal (HMR), which is using Government cash to regenerate the borough’s housing, and are both on Oldham Council’s cabinet.

They say that the money which the HMR scheme cannot currently spend on building houses should be used for insulation on existing homes.

They want the contracts to be given to local firms and the materials to be bought from local manufacturers to boost Oldham’s economy during the credit crunch.

Although HMR has funding waiting to be used, the councillors say construction companies are reluctant to take on contracts in the current economic uncertainty.

They are also calling for the building site preparation work — such as applying for planning permission and the construction work on installing water, sewage and power systems in the proposed construction sites — to be started now.

By doing so, they maintain that when the finance starts flowing again, all of the initial stages will have been completed and work can begin immediately. The costs of the work would then be recouped from the company which eventually is awarded the contract.

Councillor Hibbert said: “I am aware of one construction project, which is happening in my ward now, where I have been told that most, if not all, of the builders on site have been brought in from mainland Europe.

“This cannot be right while local construction workers, in some cases whole families, are unable to find employment.

“We should insist that work which is being carried out in Chadderton should be offered to Chadderton people and to residents of the borough.”

Councillor McCann said: “By keeping people in work we can ensure that the necessary skills are kept in Oldham and that there is money being spent in the borough as a whole; this benefits all of us.

“It protects existing workers and it also provides the opportunity for training apprentices and for preparing workers to take advantage of the new opportunities which will present themselves. It’s a win/win situation.”

The pair will express their concerns and call for action at the next meeting of the HMR Board on February 26.