Contemptuous attack by Tory minister towards disabled workers !

Leighton Andrews

Welsh Assembly Government Education Minister Leighton Andrews has called for the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to be sacked after he made comments in a Sunday newspaper about his reasons for closing Remploy factories, which employ disabled staff.

The Tory MP is quoted in the paper saying “Is it kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? I promise you this is better. Taking this decision was a balance between how much do I want to spend keeping a number of people in Remploy factories not producing stuff versus getting people into proper jobs.”

Leighton Andrews AM has hit back at the comments and is now calling on Iain Duncan Smith to be sacked. He says “I have visited every factory in Wales, since the Tory closure announcement, so unlike Iain Duncan Smith I actually have a clear idea of the good work that goes on in many of these factories. It is not just the callousness of these remarks that are shocking - I would expect little else from this Government - it’s the ignorance behind the remarks that is really troubling."

Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants welcomes the intervention by Leighton Andrews & fully supports his comments. We would add that - it's typical of Tory ministers, they fundamentally lack empathy, are contemptuous towards disabled workers. Benefit claimants know what if feels like to be stereotyped - we face a barrage of negative attacks daily.

We give our full support to Remploy Workers fighting to preserve their jobs - "dignity & respect in work & while out of work" is our message !!
THE United Nations will be urged to put pressure on the Government to reverse its policy of closing factories for the disabled at an international conference.

Remploy factories across the Britain, including one in Wrexham, are under threat of the axe by the Government.

The Celtic League, which has consultative status with the UN, will urge the international body to lobby the Government to think again.

Government chiefs insist they have not taken the decision lightly and believe the money can be far better spent elsewhere to get disabled people into work in other areas.

From July the 2-9 this year the United Nations Economic and Social Council High-level Segment will hold its 2012 annual ministerial review at its New York headquarters.

The Celtic League’s Cymru branch secretary Adam Phillips, from Mold, has sent an extensive submission to the United Nations Ecosoc E-Discussion: Shaping the Future of Education on behalf of the organisation, which will be debated.

It calls for international body to support initiatives such as Remploy.

The submission said: “The Celtic League believes that companies like Remploy should be supported and encouraged in their promotion of productive capacity, employment and decent work to eradicate poverty in the context of inclusive, sustainable and equitable economic growth at all levels in order to achieve the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals within the Celtic countries and beyond.

“The Celtic League has campaigned on this issue in the past and most recently in Wrecsam / Wrexham, Wales where our Cymru Branch organised a demonstration in support of the Remploy workers who will be made redundant as a result of the planned closure of the Remploy factory in the town.

“We call on the Governments in the Celtic countries of Alba / Scotland, Breizh / Brittany, Cymru / Wales, Kernow / Cornwall, Eire / Ireland and Mannin / Isle of Man to create and continue to provide employment opportunities for the disabled community within these nations.”

The league’s submission will be discussed by UN delegates.

Our video of the Remploy March & Rally in Sheffield Disabled Remploy workers marched through the city of Sheffield in a bid to save their factories from closure.

The government has not only ignored the 100,000 plus signature petition but has announced the closure 36 of the 54 remaining Remploy sites with compulsory redundancy for 1,752 people of which 1,518 of these are disabled by 17th August this year (2012).

With two million disabled workers already out of work, why on earth would the government want to sack another 1,518. Surely they could concentrate on finding work for the millions already unemployed

Sign the ONLINE Petition BELOW:
http://saveremployfactories.co.uk/ ..