COUNCILLORS have called on the government to save the threatened Remploy factory in Poole.

The meeting of Bournemouth full Council on Tuesday night overwhelmingly supported a motion which calls for a re-think of the decision to close the factory at Alder Hills, in Poole, where staff have been making life jackets for the Ministry of Defence for the past 15 years.

The motion by Cllr Ted Taylor also said that the decision would "adversely affect people with disabilities in and around Bournemouth and Poole" and that the council should seek the support of local MPs.

In total 43 Remploy factories are set to close and more than 2,000 people lose their jobs.

Senior shop steward at the Poole factory, Lorain Sheen, who attended the meeting with several fellow workers, said: "The sheer scale of these closures and their impact is both shocking and unprecedented.

"Some employees have never worked anywhere else and feel that they are not only making a valuable contribution to society and the local community, but in mainstream employment are far more likely to be working at the lower end of the skill range and certainly not on the negotiated terms and conditions currently enjoyed at Remploy."

Cllr Taylor also condemned the decision to inform workers by a five-minute video.

"How would any of us react if we were going to be told by video how our workplace was to shut down? It caused distress and anger."

Cllr Beryl Baxter said: "By taking away their ability to work, Remploy will take away their right to dignity."

Lorain Sheen said of the video: "We were told by Bob Warner with a grin on his face.

"In one factory, not Poole, a guy went to take his life a day later and if they hadn't found him he would be dead."