Workers sentenced to a ‘life of poverty’

Remploy factory entrance

Oldham’s Remploy factory is being axed with the loss of more than 100 jobs, the Government has confirmed.

The plant in Ashton Road, Bardsley, is one 27 Remploy factories across the country due to close. The factories mainly employ disabled workers..

Minister for Disabled People Maria Miller said the loss-making sites could no longer be subsidised and that the £320 million annual budget could be spent more effectively. It is believed the factories will close just before Christmas.

Earlier this year the Government asked individual factories to come up with business plans to ensure their survival without public subsidy. Yesterday Oldham was included on the list with “no business plan”.

Workers at all of Remploy’s factories are due to stage two 24-hour strikes in the coming weeks in protest. Phil Davies, the GMB union national secretary, said: “GMB is very angry. To close these factories that employs disabled people in the present economic climate is a sentence to life of unemployment and poverty.

“The strikes will go ahead on July 19 and 26 as planned and should be a rallying point, giving each community the opportunity to stand behind these disabled workers who will be facing the scrapheap.”

Oldham West and Royton MP Michael Meacher said: “I have had many meetings with people over Remploy and our attempts to keep the service in Oldham. This is awful news and it is an atrocious policy and shows what this Government cares about.”


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