Remploy Strike Ballot
Tuesday 15th February
2011
REMPLOY DISABLED WORKERS GIVEN
AUTHORITY BY GMB CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION
BALLOT OVER REDUNDANCIES
The Big Society, if its
exists, must mean finding work for disabled workers and a strike to
stop the deliberate run down of Remploy shows that disabled workers
are fed up of being lectured on the big society by those in high
society
Disabled workers employed by Remploy
who are GMB members were today given authority by the GMB Central
Executive Council (CEC) to conduct a national official industrial
action ballot over redundancies in the 54 sheltered workshops
across Britain. The CEC was told that GMB members in Remploy have
already voted in a consultative ballot by a majority of 5 to 1 to
take strike action.
The ballot will take place amongst GMB
members at 57 Remploy factories in Aberdare, Aberdeen,
Abertillery, Acton, Ashington, Barking, Barrow, Birkenhead,
Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bridgend, Bristol, Burnley,
Chesterfield, Cleator Moor, Clydebank, Coventry, Cowdenbeath,
Croespenmaen, Derby, Dundee, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Heywood,
Huddersfield, Leeds, Leicester, Leicester Head Office, Leven,
Manchester, Merthyr Tydfil, Motherwell, Neath Port Talbot,
Newcastle, North London, North Staffordshire, Norwich, Oldham,
Penzance, Pontefract, Poole, Porth, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield,
Southampton, Spennymoor, Springburn, Stirling, Sunderland, Swansea,
Wallasey, Wigan, Worksop and Wrexham.
It is expected that preparing for the
ballot will take at least six weeks and it will be conducted by the
Electoral Reform Services (ERS).
Remploy last month told GMB that
proposals for voluntary redundancy were being rolled out across the
company from Monday 31st January 2011. This was just 7
days after the legal consultation period of 90 days commenced on
the 24th January 2011.
Remploy went on to inform over 3,400
employees by letter on the 26th January 2011 just 3 days
after the official consultation commenced on the 24th
January 2011 that the redundancy package would be rolled out on
Monday 31st January 2011 and that they should seek to
volunteer for redundancy.
The GMB CEC were told that following
the closure of 29 Remploy factories in 2008 the vast majority of
workers (85%) who were made redundant are still unemployed and on
benefits with no prospects of finding work.
The GMB CEC were also told that the
Remploy management have made little of no progress in finding work
for the remaining Remploy factories in spite of the fact that the
EU rules allow public bodies to place orders with sheltered
workshop outside or normal procurement arrangements.
The GMB CEC were advised of an
alternative plan that the Remploy unions has put to the government
as an alternative way ahead. Part of than plan is to reverse the
rise in the number of managers which had increased despite the
reduction in the number of factories and shop floor workers. In
total the Remploy unions have put forward a plan to cut £30million
from costs while making Remploy viable.
Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary
said, "The GMB CEChas
given authority for an official national industrial action ballot
to take place in the 54 Remploy factories over the redundancies and
the run down of employment in these sheltered
workshops.
The Big Society, if its
exists, must surely encompass society finding useful work for
disabled workers. It should encompass local communities taking
advantage of the EU procurement rules to award contacts to
sheltered workshops to make things like uniforms, school furniture
and other useful things the Remploy workers make. After the war the
then society made sure that it looked after disabled workers when
it set up the Remploy factory network.
Members of the GMB
CECremarked that the Tories under Mrs
Thatcher used to say that there is no such thing as society now we
have the Tories saying it's a 'big' society. With this deliberate
run down of employment in Remploy GMB member are fed up of being
lectured on the big society by those in high society. It has come
to a sorry pass when disabled workers have to go on strike to stay
in work and stay off the dole. 85% of those who lost their jobs in
Remploy in 2008 are still on the dole."
Ends
Contacts: Phil
Davies, GMB National Secretary on 07850 966465, Les Woodward, GMB
Convenor at Remploy on 07977 436251 or Val Scott, GMB Organiser
Northern Region on 07870 176726, Mervyn Burnett GMB Organiser South
Western on 07980 753114, Brian Derbyshire GMB Organiser North West
on 07740 804059, Amanda Gearing GMB Organiser West Midlands 07957
265678, Glen Holdom GMB Organiser London and Eastern Region on
07974 251723, John Moist GMB Organiser GMB Scotland 07752 147808,
Steve Morris GMB Organiser Yorkshire Region on 07958 156843, Chris
Needham East Midlands Region on 07966 327974. Stuart Fegan GMB
Southern Region on 07912 890434 and Kevin Young North East Region
on 07870 176747 or GMB Press Office: Steve Pryle on 07921 289880 or
Rose Conroy on 07974 251823.