Raven Mill: working conditions improve

The Raven mill site in Chadderton

Working conditions at the Raven mill in Chadderton appear to have been significantly addressed just less than a week after a number of employees were growing increasingly concerned about their potential health and safety following management's apparent disregard for the Government's strict social distancing measures.

Clipper Logistics are currently operating returns and pre-retail services on behalf of fashion giants Very.co.uk at the Raven Avenue site, and business appeared to have been carrying on pretty much as normal.

With the Coronavirus pandemic currently threatening the health and lives of everyone, many Raven Mill employees had been shocked that they were still being ordered to work on site.

The site is still open, but the Chronicle now understands that employees' shifts have been significantly reduced from five per week to three or four, and stricter distancing measures have been put in place.

A friend of one Raven mill employee told us: "It sounds like they’ve sorted themselves out.

"They’ve put social distancing in place and it’s being followed correctly now.

"Hand sanitisers are now being provided too."

Another employee said: "At the moment they have less parcels arriving, so we are doing less hours instead of just giving us time off."

Oldham Council officials have been monitoring the situation at the site, and they have been assured of 'reasonable measures that they are putting in place to protect staff at work'.

They told us that whilst the Authority do not have any enforcement powers with regards to social distancing in manufacturing type premises, "All companies, and residents, should be following government guidelines on social distancing and taking measures to protect staff."

Meanwhile, the nearby Park Cakes bakery have also today told us that they have taken stringent measures to implement Government guidelines in their Hollinwood site during the coronavirus crisis.

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