This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7118979.stm

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Remploy factory closures go ahead Remploy factory closures go ahead
(11 minutes later)
The closure of 28 Remploy factories employing disabled workers is to go ahead, Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain has said. The closure of 28 of Remploy's 83 factories employing disabled workers is to go ahead, Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain has said.
Ministers have said Remploy factories cost too much, but unions argue that the government is not doing enough to bring in business.Ministers have said Remploy factories cost too much, but unions argue that the government is not doing enough to bring in business.
It was announced earlier this year that 43 Remploy factories were to close, bringing strike threats from unions. The closures mean up to 2,000 jobs will be lost.
This latest round of closures mean up to 2,000 jobs will be lost. The government announced a £555m package in September intended to safeguard Remploy's future.
The original plan was to close 43 out of the company's sites.
But after talks with unions, Remploy submitted "final proposals" to the government, which included the closure of 28 sites.
Mr Peter Hain told the Commons the closure of some Remploy sites will cause "disappointment" but he said changes had to be made to secure the organisation's future.
'Government failures'
Trade unions have said none of Remploy's factories should close and argued that they could be expanded if the company's senior management team were replaced.
Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said: "This announcement has angered Remploy workers and their supporters.
"This government-controlled operation has failed its people, its principles and its purpose.
"These closures are completely unnecessary. If Remploy was called Northern Rock, I am certain that we would not be seeing a single redundancy."
Remploy wants to place more disabled workers in mainstream employment, and aims to quadruple the number of jobs it finds outside its factories to 20,000 a year within five years.