Four Welsh Remploy plants 'saved'

Remploy is looking for redundancy volunteers in Wrexham

Four Remploy factories in Wales originally due to close have been saved as long as new business is secured for them, the UK government has announced.

Plants in Aberdare, Bridgend, Abertillery and Wrexham, which predominantly employ disabled workers, will now stay open.

But the Treforest plant will close and the Brynamman and Ystradgynlais plants will merge at a new site in Neath.

The closures had been part of a plan to shut 43 factories across the UK.

Remploy, the disabled employment service, had announced the closures in May, saying that its Welsh factories, which produce a variety of goods, were running at a loss.

But following savings and the assumption of more public procurement orders, 15 fewer Remploy sites than originally planned will close.

In its "final" proposal to the UK government, Remploy wants to close 28 factories employing 1,600 disabled workers.

There are still 28 sites on the list that face closure, so it is not all roses John Brookes, Wrexham Remploy

In Wales, around 365 employees, most of whom are people with disabilities, had been due to be affected by the closures.

Remploy chief executive Bob Warner said it was delighted to be maintaining production in Wrexham, but extra work had not yet been secured for the plant and so a voluntary redundancy programme was being introduced to reduce costs.

He warned that the factory would need to show "satisfactory progress in moving toward an acceptable loss per disabled employee".

Remploy's revised modernisation proposals have been submitted for approval to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Welsh Secretary Peter Hain.

Mr Warner added: "The plans which we have submitted meet the goals set by the government for us to support many more disabled people into jobs in mainstream employment, avoid compulsory redundancy of disabled employees, and remain within a £555m spending limit over five years".

But union leaders said it was an "absolute disgrace" that Remploy still wanted to close factories.

Trade union rallies against the closures were held across the UK

John Brookes, team leader at Wrexham Remploy, said: "If that list gets the rubber stamp, then yes - it's great news.

"But there are still 28 sites on the list that face closure, so it is not all roses. There are still people in that situation and we don't want any closures."

Mr Brookes said he accepted there was a need for Remploy to look at its operations.

He added: "We know we've got to change, that there needs to be modernisation, but we need capital investment, and I don't see where that is coming from."

'Viable future'

Mr Hain said ministers would scrutinise Remploy's plans before making a final decision on the way forward.

"I want a positive and viable future for Remploy and will do all I can to secure this," he said.

The plans to close the plants originally met with strong protests.

Trade unions GMB, Unite and Community held rallies against the closures all over the UK in September and put together alternative business plans to save the factories.

Remploy had said it wanted to put 2,270 of its 5,000 disabled employees across the UK into mainstream employment.