HEALTHCARE workers at The Link Centre have accused council bosses of discrimination after being excluded from plans to give staff looking after vulnerable people in the community free parking.

As a result, many of the 70 staff working at Oldham Council Integrated Therapy Hub in Union Street, are now boycotting the nearby pay and display car park in Waterloo Street, meaning they have less capacity to see patients.

The workers, who have been relocated to centre, home to Oldham Cares' Integrated Therapy Hub (ITH), say they have been told by the town hall they must each pay £32 a month for a permit to park.

They were moved to the centre last year from other bases across the borough, but there is no facility to park other than the council pay and display facility at Waterloo Street.

One member of staff who did not wish to be named said managers would not listen to their concerns.

They said: "We are all essential car users as we provide home visits to our patients.

"Other community staff in the organisation based in different locations do not need to pay, and neither do managers, who do not visit patients.

"As you can imagine, this is causing a lot of resentment as the ITH staff now feel discriminated against with what amounts to a pay cut due to management decisions taken about where to locate us.

"Staff are now boycotting the car park, meaning they have less capacity to see patients while they drive around looking for somewhere to park."

As reported last week by The Oldham Times, town hall bosses at a cabin meeting decided to introduce free parking for healthcare staff visiting vulnerable residents.

Healthcare workers working the borough's five "clusters" will qualify for a parking pass, rather than having to pay for the meter when they travel to see patients.

At the time, cabinet member for health and social care Cllr Zahid Chauhan said the authority was committed to supported carers in Oldham despite the challenging financial climate for town halls, and had already invested £2.5 million in funding to pay them a living wage.

Now, Cllr Chauhan says: "Our staff highlighted last year that in some parts of the borough they were finding it difficult to park when visiting people in their homes.

“The proposals that were recently unveiled for healthcare workers across Oldham are in response to these issues and address the difficulties they face while on official business and caring for our most vulnerable residents.

"The introduction of passes for our integrated teams is vital in enabling them to park freely. A small number will be made available and distributed in accordance of need. These passes are not for everyday use by staff at their normal place of work.

"On the separate issue of staff parking at their place of work, the council and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust are looking at how we can better support social and healthcare workers who cannot claim parking costs when based at their normal office location.

"This is work in progress and will be taken in the context of the costs when considering the needs of all staff who are located in town centre locations.”