Press Release

Labour Party policy commission failed workers

Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary spoke at the Labour Party conference on the Policy Commission which dealt with last year’s contemporary motion from GMB on Remploy. Last year’s motion called on the Government to put forward a viable recovery plan for Remploy based on using public procurement to secure work to keep all 83 Remploy factories open. It also asked that no factory be closed without the agreement to government Ministers. Paul Kenny said, “The Policy Commission and the new procedures set up last year to deal with contemporary motions totally failed the Remploy workers. Six weeks after the 2007 conference the government ploughed on with a Remploy strategy that was totally misconceived. 3,500 disabled workers were put out of work and their factories closed, some of them without the agreement of Ministers. So instead of the Policy Commission coming forward with ideas to unlock the potential for disabled workers to make a contribution to the economy the Commission was bypassed when the 3,500 disabled Remploy workers lost their jobs. This way of doing business has failed to win votes. It has actually lost votes. Unless there is a major rethink to deliver public procurements contracts to supported factories like Remploy, the issue will come back to haunt the Government at the next election.” Contact: GMB Press Office on 0208 947 3131.