GMB Remploy meeting in Manchester

8 September 2011

GMB Remploy meeting in Manchester plan protests on exclusion of Remploy workers from DWP consultation meetings in Manchester and Leeds on factory closures

Thousands of Remploy workers from North West, North East and Yorkshire are being excluded from consultation meetings as all 54 Remploy factories are threatened with closure if Government stops public funding in April 2013

All Remploy workers want to attend the consultation meetings set up by DWP to take place between 12th to 21st September at six locations. The aim of these meetings is to consult Remploy workers on Government proposals to end public finding for Remploy factories in April 2013 and on the privatization of employment services provided by Remploy.

Phil Davies, GMB National Secretary said: “The DWP and Government are trying to prevent Remploy disabled workers from attending these consultation meetings.

This government promised that all the employees with the company would be fully consulted about their future in Remploy. We now find a small number of employees from the 21 factories in North West, Yorkshire and the North East have been unilaterally selected by the DWP to be consulted. Thousands of Remploy employees are being excluded from this consultation and not a single Trade Union Official has been invited. The DWP is bullying our members into submission. Cameron and Clegg have again gone back on promises made to the disabled.

Remploy workers want to tell DWP that closing Remploy is the aim of conflicted axe grinders who want the funding for themselves. Another threat is that the factories are rendered less economic being only 50% loaded because either public bodies have failed to support them with work as allowed under EU rules or their own managers are turning down work.

DWP will be told that it would cost Treasury less to keep the factories operating fully loaded rather than putting the workers out of work on welfare. The majority of Remploy workers who lost their jobs in 2008 are still on welfare 3 years later.

The crucial campaign objective for Remploy workers is to get the loading up from 50% now to 100% and to keep these factories open.

These factories have a successful track record going back to 1946 till the public authorities stopped loading them with work in 1990s due to then EU directive. The EU rules have been changed and the factories can be successful again when they are fully loaded. Making uniforms for the armed forces, emergency services and medical staff, and supplying schools would more than keep them busy.

Remploy workers want help to get their factories fully loaded. GMB will shortly publish the list of all public bodies that are not now supporting Remploy with work. Members of the public can help if they are involved with any of these bodies or can lobby MPs, councillors and others to get them to place work with Remploy.”

Notes:

The alphabetical list of Remploy factories facing closure is as follows: Aberdare, Aberdeen, Abertillery, Acton, Ashington, Barking, Barrow, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bridgend, Bristol, Burnley, Chesterfield, Cleator Moor, Clydebank, Coventry, Cowdenbeath, Croespenmaen, Derby, Dundee, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Heywood, Huddersfield, Leeds, Leicester, Leven, Manchester, Merthyr Tydfil, Motherwell, Neath Port Talbot, Newcastle, North London, North Staffordshire, Norwich, Oldham, Penzance, Pontefract, Poole, Porth, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton, Spennymoor, Springburn, Stirling, Sunderland, Swansea, Wigan, Worksop and Wrexham.

Two of the official consultation meetings on the closure of there 54 factories are as follows:
LEEDS
The Mint Hotel
Wharf Approach
GranaryWharf2
Leeds
LS1 4BR

DWP meeting starts Monday 12th September 2011 10am – 12.30; Union members plan arriving to demonstrate at about 9.30am.
MANCHESTER
The Mint Hotel
1 Auburn Street
1 Piccadilly Place
Manchester
M1 3DG

DWP meeting starts Tuesday 13th September 2011 10am – 12.30; Union members plan arriving to demonstrate at about 9.30am.

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