Angry Remploy workers to stage 48-hour strike

Feb 7 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

DISABLED workers are staging a 48-hour strike in protest at the closure of their factories.

Remploy workers at sites in Birkenhead and Aintree walked out yesterday and today over the closure of 28 plants.

The workers are also planning to stage two further 48-hour walkouts later this month.

The scheme would see both the Aintree and St Helens sites closing while the Central Cutting Unit in Wallasey would be shut and merged with the Birkenhead factory.

St Helens workers will be balloted for strike action along with four more plants in Hartlepool, and three more in South Wales.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, said: “It is shameful that disabled workers employed by Remploy are forced to take strike action to defend their jobs.

“These disabled workers are victims of long running poor management and direction that failed to use the changes in the EU procurement laws to provide a steady workload to all factories.”

But a Remploy spokesman said: “It is difficult to see what benefit will be gained by this industrial action or ballots on further action.e.

“The strike at Birkenhead is particularly baffling as employees have been offered jobs on their current terms and conditions at another Remploy factory less than 200 yards away.”