UK company accused over jobs for disabled

Unions pledged today to fight plans to close factories employing disabled workers amid fears that up to 30 are set to be shut down.

Remploy, the UK’s largest provider of employment for disabled people, announced that it will tell unions next week how many of its 83 factories will remain open.

Officials from unions representing workers believe that between 25 and 30 could now close.

Phil Davies, national official of the GMB, said: “Remploy trade unions have been informed today by the company that formal consultations regarding the closure of Remploy’s factories will be announced next week.

“The unions view this latest move as disgraceful and dishonest.”

Mr Davies said closure plans will be opposed and accused Remploy of acting in a “hostile” manner.

Remploy’s chief executive, Bob Warner, said the aim was to increase the number of disabled people helped into jobs in mainstream employment over the next five years.

“There is now an acceptance that disabled people would prefer to work in mainstream employment alongside non-disabled people rather than in sheltered workshops from which they do not progress or develop.

“Maintaining the status quo is not an option and we will be discussing the future of our factories with the trade unions.

“I can give a guarantee that no disabled person will made compulsorily redundant.”

Remploy said its plans were aimed at “growth”, adding that it wanted to significantly increase the number of disabled people it helped find work.

The company pointed out that manufacturing had moved to overseas competitors and every job in its factories now cost an average of more than £20,000 (€29,200) a year.

For the same money four people could be helped into a job, the company pointed out.

Remploy was set up in 1945 to provide work for disabled members of the Armed Forces.

The company now places more people in mainstream jobs than it employs in its factories.

Unions have argued that management costs are too high.