Tories bury bad news (again) – sneaking out Remploy closure news in a written statement

In written statement released by Minister for Disabled People Esther McVey this morning, the government has sneaked out (under cover of the Autumn Statement and the Royal Baby)  the news that 10 Remploy factories are closing, 5 are under threat. Only 3 are safe.

The government are effectively closing Remploy, and hoping no-one notices.

According to the statement:

“As a result of these proposals a total 875 employees including 682 disabled employees…are being placed at risk of compulsory redundancy.”

Update: Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liam Byrne has issued the following response:

 “This is a shameful act from a contemptuous government. A day after the Autumn Statement in which the claimant count was revised up, David Cameron and Iain Duncan Smith have thrown out of work almost 1,000 disabled workers.

“Iain Duncan Smith didn’t even have the nerve to come to Parliament to tell MPs face to face. Instead he chose to hide in his office while he was putting disabled workers out of a job. He ought to be ashamed of himself.

“Iain Duncan Smith is the minister who said that Remploy workers did nothing better than sit around drinking cups of coffee. Now, in a final act of contempt he has sacked almost all of them, despite knowing that 90% of those who lost their jobs in the last closures are still out of work.
 
“We say loud and clear this round of closures must stop. David Cameron’s government is failing to get disabled workers back into jobs. The Work Programme is worse than doing nothing. This closure plan must stop until there’s a plan that works to get disabled workers back into jobs.”hop