Black Triangle Appeal:
It is vital that as many people, groups and organisations turn out to support the Remploy Workers’ strike on the following dates. You can check details of pickets by telephoning the relevant representatives for your area listed below.
NOW is the time to unite together in solidarity with disabled workers in employment at Remploy who are suffering a savage ConDem ideological attack that will mean that 90% of workers will never work again if the 2008 layoffs at Remploy are anything to go by.
This attack shows the ConDems’ true colours. It is not interested in helping disabled people to work and be full members of the community .
Its protestations to the contrary are nothing but neoliberal lies and a smokescreen to make unconscionable cuts – so that the ordinary people of our country are forced to pay for their banking bail-outs and sustain their opulent lifestyle of the ruling class – while the rest of us are expected to die an early death in ‘workfare’ enslavement and poverty!
Let the Remploy strike be the beginning of a UNITED co-ordinated campaign of mass industrial action that will bring this government of gangsters down!
We build for that day now by turning out en masse in solidarity with our brothers and sisters on strike on the day.
Every single person who can make it makes a massive difference to the campaign to save Remploy!
Be sure to wear a Black Triangle or make your own banner!
SOLIDARITY!
BLACK TRIANGLE CAMPAIGN
Friday 6th July 2012
REMPLOY GIVEN NOTICE OF INDUSTRIAL ACTION OVER THE CLOSURE OF 54 FACTORIES WITH THE LOSS OF 2,800 DISABLED WORKERS JOBS
Remploy workers fix dates for two 24 hour strikes to defend their jobs to avoid their certain destiny of being chucked on the economic scrapheap says unions
GMB and Unite have notified Remploy of the intended dates of strike action and action short of a strike in the dispute over factory closures.
This action will take place in all 54 factory sites.
12 noon on Thursday 12th July 2012 a continuous overtime ban
6am on Thursday 19th July 2012 to 6am on Friday 20th July 2012 a 24 hour strike
6am on Thursday 26th July 2012 to 6am on Friday 27th July 2012 a second 24 hour strikes
These dates were fixed after members of GMB and Unite employed by Remploy in 54 factories across the country voted by an overwhelming majority to take part in strikes and other industrial action to protest against the closure of the factories and disabled workers being forced in to unemployment.
The majority for strike action was 79.5% of the vote in the GMB.
The majority for action short of a strike was 87.3% in GMB.
The figures for Unite are 59.7% in favour of strike action and 76.1% in favour of action short of a strike.
There was a Ministerial statement on 7th March the House of Commons to announce the closure of 36 of the 54 remaining Remploy sites with compulsory redundancy for 1,752 people of whom 1,518 of these are disabled. The statement envisages the complete closure of all 54 factories in due course leading to 2,800 disabled workers jobs being lost.
A 90 day consultation period was due to end last month (June) but it has been extended.
The Remploy factories schedules to close in the first wave 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.
Phil Davies GMB National Secretary said, “The government’s intention to destroy thousands of disabled workers jobs in Remploy has given rise to an overwhelming vote for strike action against the proposed closures of their 54 factories. These closures are going ahead without any consideration of the feelings and needs of these workers and their families or their future job prospects. To close a factory that employs disabled people in the present economic climate is a sentence to life of unemployment and poverty.”
Kevin Hepworth, Unite National Officer, said “This vote for strike action demonstrates our members’ disgust at the way they have been treated by the government’s policies which are designed to throw them on the dole queue at a very difficult economic time.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith – the uncaring face of the coalition – has provoked this strike at Remploy by refusing to listen to the economic arguments.
His decision is based on right-wing dogma.
“Our members are desperate to work in an environment that takes account of their disability and where they can make a valued contribution to society and pay their way.”
Here are the Remploy Strikers’ contacts for your area:
Contact: Phil Davies, GMB National Secretary on 020 8941 3131 or 07850 966 465 or Les Woodward, GMB Convenor at Remploy on 07977 436 251 of GMB Press Office: 07921 289880 or Kevin Hepworth, Unite National Officer on 07976 265630.
Contacts for other Remploy Factory areas:
Les Woodward GMB National, and Wales Remploy Convener on 07977 436251;
Yorkshire Steve Morris, GMB Organiser on 07958 156843. James Stribley, GMB Shop Steward for Sheffield 07525 136396, Tony Gledhill, GMB Organiser Leeds 0113 2726970, Bob McNeill, GMB Organiser for Sheffield 0114 2768017
East Midlands Martin Alan, GMB Organiser on 07966 327 962, Richard Taylor, GMB Organiser on 07966 327981, Paul Bissett, GMB Organiser on 07966 327985, Chris Needham, GMB Organiser on 07966 327 974
South Coast Gary Cook, GMB Organiser on 07712 677594, Paul Maloney, GMB Senior Organiser on 07801 343 839; South West Stuart Fegan, GMB Organiser on 07912 890 4434
Wales Les Woodward GMB National, and Wales Remploy Convener on 07977 436251; Mervyn Burnett, GMB Organiser on 07980 753 115, Mark Jones, GMB Organiser on 07771 980 281 or
West Midlands Dominic Hinks, GMB Organiser on 07957 266945
North West Charlie Leonard, GMB Senior Organiser on 07974 018408, Brian Derbyshire, GMB Organiser on 07740 804059, Stephen Carr, GMB Organiser on 07974 018416 or Cumbria Kevin Young, GMB Organiser on 07870 176 747
Scotland John Moist, GMB Organiser on 07752 147 808, Richard Leonard, GMB Senior Organiser on 07703 456447
North East Billy Coates, GMB Senior Organiser on 07870 176 734, Val Scott, GMB Organiser on 07870 176 726 Martin Allen
East Anglia and Northern Home Counties and North London Glen Holdom, GMB Organiser on 07974 251 723 or GMB Press Office: Steve Pryle on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251823.
Hello Black Triangle.
I just took the mail across the street to a friend of a worker of Remploy moments later he came back from work to say he had (‘JUST BEEN MADE REDUNDANT’). After 37 years of working hard in a job he loved so much. He is devistated. this in Gateshead.
Please everyone fight for him and others who have just lost their jobs. he said they tried to stop redundancy money.
I say Ideological GREED).
Paul.
torys dont care they rather we work for nowt pay whos that we all be saying ,so where are these jobs they going to find for the disabled where they cant find work for someone who is not disabled ,its just another ploy to give their mates another emmas million bonusese scheme 8.6 million reasons for their mates .jeff3
Count me in. I’ll be there sporting a home-made Black Triangle Badge! Courage, solidarity, Justice!