Disabled workers call for Games spirit

The Government will be urged to scrap plans to close factories employing disabled workers and embrace the spirit of generosity shown during the Olympic Games.

By The Newsroom

Published 16th Aug 2012, 07:00 BST

Workers from Remploy factories will hand 10 Downing Street a book signed by more than 8,000 people who support their case.

Half Remploy’s 54 factories will close by the end of the year, 18 will shut or be sold next year and the other nine face uncertain futures.

The Government says it believes money will be better spent helping disabled workers find jobs in mainstream sectors.

A GMB union officer said: “We have strongly criticised the silence of the Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, in failing to offer any help to the soon-to-be made redundant 1,700 Remploy workers; unlike the Welsh Government which has pledged £2.4m for employers who give jobs to Remploy workers when the factories in Wales close.”

In a letter to the Prime Minster, the Unite union said: “Now is the moment to harness the generosity generated by the Olympics and make a stand for a fairer and better Britain.”