Press Release
515,400 unemployed disabled workers in UK as closure of 36 Remploy factories with the loss of 1,518 disabled jobs looms GMB congress told
12 June 2012
The Remploy disabled workers have widespread support which should be mobilised to put pressure on Tory and Liberal MPs when they hold their 'Scrapheap' demonstrations across the country
There are already 515,400 disabled workers in the UK who are economically active but out of work. This is an unemployment rate of 11.4% of all economically active disabled workers in the region and is higher than the unemployment rate of 7.4% for the 1,928,100 not disabled workers who are unemployed in the UK. These figures emerged as the GMB Congress in Brighton debated how to step up opposition to the closure of the Remploy factories. GMB Congress was told that the disabled workers currently employed in the 36 factories facing closure in August will probably never work again.
The North East has the highest rate of economically active disabled workers who are unemployed 14.8%. Next comes London 14%, Northern Ireland 13.7%, West Midlands 13.4%, Yorkshire and The Humber 12.8%, North West 11.4%, Wales 11.3%, Scotland 11.2%, East Midlands 10.6%, East 9.5%, South East 9.3% and South West 8.4%.
These figures are from a new analysis by GMB of the latest unemployment data from the Office on National Statistics (ONS) covering the year to September 2011 and published at the GMB Congress in Brighton. The numbers and rates of unemployment for not disabled and disabled workers resident in the 12 UK regions are set out below. For sources see Notes to Editors. The figures for the 20 areas in the UK with the highest rate of economically active disabled workers who are unemployed are set out in Notes to Editors below. In Blaenau Gwent and Newham a quarter of all economically active disabled workers are out of work.
The closure of 36 of the 54 remaining Remploy factories with compulsory redundancy for 1,752 people of whom 1,518 of these are disabled was announced in the House of Commons on 7th March 2012. The statement envisages the complete closure of all 54 factories in due course leading to 2,800 disabled workers jobs being lost.
The 36 Remploy factories scheduled to close in the first wave beginning this August are as follows: Aberdare, Aberdeen, Abertillery, Acton, Ashington, Barking, Barrow, Birkenhead, Bolton, Bridgend, Bristol, Chesterfield, Cleator Moor, Croespenmaen, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Merthyr Tydfil, Motherwell, Newcastle, North London, North Staffs, Oldham, Penzance, Pontefract, Poole, Preston, Southampton, Spennymoor, Springburn, Swansea, Wigan, Worksop and Wrexham.
Official data from ONS of number and rate of unemployment in the Regions of the UK- Residence based October 2010-September 2011
|
Unemployment rate aged 16-64 - not disabled |
Unemployment rate aged 16-64 - disabled |
||||
|
number |
% |
number |
% |
||
|
United Kingdom |
1,928,100 |
7.4 |
515,400 |
11.4 |
|
|
1 |
North East |
99,200 |
9.7 |
29,200 |
14.8 |
|
2 |
London |
312,900 |
8.7 |
71,900 |
14.0 |
|
3 |
Northern Ireland |
47,800 |
6.4 |
11,500 |
13.7 |
|
4 |
West Midlands |
182,700 |
8.4 |
49,800 |
13.4 |
|
5 |
Yorkshire and The Humber |
196,900 |
9.1 |
52,300 |
12.8 |
|
6 |
North West |
217,400 |
7.7 |
56,100 |
11.4 |
|
7 |
Wales |
94,300 |
8.2 |
25,700 |
11.3 |
|
8 |
Scotland |
165,200 |
7.5 |
45,400 |
11.2 |
|
9 |
East Midlands |
133,100 |
7.2 |
38,300 |
10.6 |
|
10 |
East |
151,500 |
6.2 |
43,000 |
9.5 |
|
11 |
South East |
200,100 |
5.5 |
58,800 |
9.3 |
|
12 |
South West |
126,900 |
5.8 |
33,300 |
8.4 |
Paul Kenny, GMB general secretary speaking at the GMB Congress in Brighton said, “There are already 515,400 disabled workers out of work in the UK as well as 1.9 million not disabled workers looking for work.
Unless there is a government U-turn on closing the Remploy factories what will happen is that the 2,800 disabled workers employment in them will be put on the scrap heap and most of them will never work again.
The Remploy disabled workers have widespread support which should be mobilised to put pressure on Tory and Liberal MPs when they hold their 'Scrapheap' demonstrations across the country.
The Sayce Report, supported by RADAR, Mind, Mencap. Scope, RNID and Leonard Cheshire, is being used as a “Trojan horse” to close the Remploy factories.
These six organisations started with an aspiration we all share where all disabled people are treated in an equal way in employment and that ideal state may lead to a completely different view of what support is required.
This is what happens when you ignore the reality on the ground. You start with resolutions that will not be achieved in the short run. They are then pickled into a rigid dogma, a code, and you go through the years sticking to that ignoring real needs, and you end in the grotesque chaos of a disabled charities – disabled charities – being used as Trojan horses to enableredundancynotices for more than 2,800 disabled workers in 54 locations across the UK.”
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