Closure of Remploy Factoreis

I am saddened by the possible closure of the Remploy Factory on Accrington Rd due to the Government accepting the recommendations of the Report prepared by Liz Sayce. Remploy gives adults with various disabilities a chance to contribute and take pride in the work their do  .

Phil Davies the GMB National Secretary states that it would cost the Treasury less to keep the factories operating fully loaded rather than putting the workers out of work on welfare. This is the the same Conservative/Lib Dem government who are trying to reduce the amount of benefits it has to pay out and get people back into work.

If the factory is to close then many of these workers would find it hard to get new employment as according to Remploy, workers who lost their jobs in 2008 are still on welfare 3 years later. Additionally the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey, Jan - March 2009 found that 23% of disabled people have no qualifications compared to 9% of non disabled people which puts disabled adults at an instant disadvantage. Finally we are possible facing a double dip recession where non disabled adults are struggling to find employment.

Is the Consertive/Lib Dem government going to let these disabled workers simply go on benefits or do they have an alternative solution to help them find new employment ?

I strongly urge anybody who reads this letter to sign the online petition at http://www.saveremployfactories.co.uk/ at the writing of this letter the GMB had collected 3771 signatures.