Remploy Bike Ride At No.10
07.11.11
REMPLOY BIKE RIDE ARRIVES IN LONDON TODAY TO PRESENT 100,000 SIGNATURE PETITION TO DOWNING STREET IN FIGHT TO SAVE FACTORIES
This petition is the proof of the strength of feel about the Government’s planned destruction of Remploy says GMB
Remploy workers who set off on their bikes from the Burnley Remploy factory last Friday 4th November arrive in London today to present a 100,000 signature petition to No 10 Downing Street at 2 p.m. they will be joined by MPs and trade unionists who support their campaign to keep Remploy factories open and disabled workers in jobs
All 54 Remploy factories across the UK are under threat of closure when current public funding ends in April 2013. If these proposals go ahead 4,000 workers will lose their jobs. The alphabetical list of Remploy factories facing closure is as follows: Aberdare, Aberdeen, Abertillery, Acton, Ashington, Barking, Barrow, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bridgend, Bristol, Burnley, Chesterfield, Cleator Moor, Clydebank, Coventry, Cowdenbeath, Croespenmaen, Derby, Dundee, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Heywood, Huddersfield, Leeds, Leicester, Leven, Manchester, Merthyr Tydfil, Motherwell, Neath Port Talbot, Newcastle, North London, North Staffordshire, Norwich, Oldham, Penzance, Pontefract, Poole, Porth, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton, Spennymoor, Springburn, Stirling, Sunderland, Swansea, Wigan, Worksop and Wrexham.
The presentation of the petition takes place at:
14.00 on MONDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 2011 at 10 DOWNING STREET LONDON SW1A 2AA
The bike ride visited many Remploy factories on route to London and today visit Marlows SC Hemel at 9.15 a.m., Remploy North London 11.45 a.m. and downing Street at 2 p.m.
Phil Davies, GMB National Secretary said: "100,000 signatures and growing. This petition is the proof of the strength of feel about the Government’s planned destruction of Remploy.
GMB members and Remploy workers believe that closing Remploy is the aim of conflicted axe grinders who want the funding for themselves.
The crucial campaign objective for Remploy workers is to get the loading up from 50% now to 100% and to keep these factories open.
The deliberate policy of starving Remploy factories of work has rendered them less economic, being only 50% loaded with work because either public bodies have failed to support them with work as allowed under EU rules or their own managers are turning down work.
It would cost Treasury less to keep the factories operating fully loaded rather than putting the workers out of work on benefits. The majority of Remploy workers who lost their jobs in 2008 are still on welfare 3 years later.
Remploy workers want help to get their factories fully loaded. GMB will shortly publish the list of all public bodies that are not now supporting Remploy with work. Members of the public can help if they are involved with any of these bodies or can lobby MPs, councillors and others to get them to place work with Remploy.
These factories have a successful track record going back to 1946 till the public authorities stopped loading them with work in 1990s due to then EU directive. The EU rules have been changed and the factories can be successful again when they are fully loaded. Making uniforms for the armed forces, emergency services and medical staff, and supplying schools would more than keep them busy."
