Support Remploy

Remploy Ltd is a government owned company in the United Kingdom which provides employment and employment placement services for disabled people. It was established in 1945 under the terms of the 1944 Disabled Persons (Employment) Act, and opened its first factory in 1946. Over the following decades it established a network of factories across the UK making a wide variety of products, and in the late 20th century it moved into service businesses.

Remploy has undergone a major modernisation, and is now also a provider of employment services for disabled people and others with barriers to employment. In 2009/10 Remploy placed over 10,500 people into jobs across a range of sectors. In 2009 Remploy was selected as a prime and sub contractor delivering the Government's Flexible New Deal Contract, which aims to help the long term unemployed back into work. In its quest to be a major welfare to work provider, delivering a range of contracts and employment programme, Remploy aims to place at least 38,000 people a year into mainstream jobs by 2012.


Factories across the North East are under threat of closure as hundreds of Remploy workers from the North East are being excluded from consultation meetings as all 54 Remploy factories are threatened with closure if Government stops public funding in April 2013

All Remploy workers want to attend the consultation meetings set up by DWP to take place between 12th to 21st September at six locations. The aim of these meetings is to consult Remploy workers on Government proposals to end public finding for Remploy factories in April 2013 and on the privatisation of employment services provided by Remploy. 

According to the GMB union the DWP and Government are trying to prevent Remploy disabled workers from attending these consultation meetings. 

This government promised that all the employees with the company would be fully consulted about their future in Remploy. We now find a small number of employees from the 21 factories in North West, Yorkshire and the North East have been unilaterally selected by the DWP to be consulted. Thousands of Remploy employees are being excluded from this consultation and not a single Trade Union Official has been invited.

The 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.

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. You can also sign the petition below by clicking on the link.

Labour group in call to support Ashington Remploy factory - Ashington News - Ashington - Northumberland

Please click on this link for the Remploy petition