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REMPLOY workers are putting pressure on the government to give them work they need to save their jobs.
A total of 43 Remploy factories, including the one at Alder Hills, Poole, are facing closure, leaving more than 2,000 disabled workers facing an uncertain future.
But trade unions are demanding that part of £150 million in government contracts to supply armed forces and NHS uniforms go to the four Remploy factories, including Alder Hills where staff have been making life jackets for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the last 15 years.
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“These contracts are coming up for re-tendering. Unions are insisting that the government steps in and insists that some of these contracts are given to the Remploy factories that are threatened with closure due to the lack of work."
Phil Davies, national secretary of general union GMB
The contracts include one for MoD waterproof garments, worth an estimated £18 million, due to start in December 2008.
Phil Davies, national secretary of general union GMB, said Remploy had struggled since the 1990s when many of the government contracts it held were put out to competitive tender, resulting in £50 million of British Army uniforms being made in China.
He added: "Britain is the only country in Europe which allows its army uniforms to be made outside the country. This is crazy.
"These contracts are coming up for re-tendering. Unions are insisting that the government steps in and insists that some of these contracts are given to the Remploy factories that are threatened with closure due to the lack of work.
"This is allowed under EU public procurement regulations and it would be a dereliction of duty not to do so."
Trade unions and staff are on a protest march around the threatened factories which will culminate in a rally outside the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth on September 24.
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