Friday, 18 May 2012 8:24 AM
By Ian Dunt
Iain Duncan Smith has refused to apologise after suggesting unemployed workers at Remploy just made cups of coffee.
The work and pensions secretary, who has presided over plans which could leave 1,518 disabled Remploy workers out of work, became embroiled in an acrimonious debate with campaigners earlier this month when staff from the Daily Express handed in a petition demanding he rethink the decision.
“Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee?” he is reported to have said.
Comment: Remploy, disabled workers and political correctness
“I promise you this is better. Taking this decision was a balance between how much do I want to spend keeping a number of people in Remploy factories not producing stuff versus getting people into proper jobs.”
When a Remploy worker said they worked in their factory, Mr Duncan Smith reportedly replied: “You don’t produce very much at all.”
Asked why workers were being stripped of the choice to chose between segregated or mainstream workplace , the former Tory leader said: “How far do you want to go with the idea that you can choose to do exactly what you want?”
“The reality is for those that are not viable it does not make any sense at all keeping people sitting not doing anything.”
Labour called on the former Tory leader to apologise to the Commons yesterday, but to no avail.
“It’s appalling that Iain Duncan Smith refused to apologise to Remploy workers when I challenged him in the House of Commons,” Liam Byrne, shadow work and pensions secretary, said.
“Remploy workers work hard for a living and they deserve to be treated with respect not contempt, particularly by a man who is sacking them.”
Disability campaigners say the Remploy factories are efficient state-owned outlets which carry out various tasks, form retail packaging to the re-cycling of government IT equipment.
The government recently made significant concession in the wake of protests about the closures, extending the deadline for submissions for those considering taking over the factories and offering short-term subsidies of up to a third of the wages of the units’ disabled workers.
4 Responses
What do you expect from a Tory? Lying, cheating, scrounging, scum can’t even get able-bodied people jobs!
What scares me is that if people with disabilities are having their benefit cuts or if they are in work they are told they don’t produce much,and public services who employ a fair percentage of disabled people are being targeted for sick leave and staff cuts. Where and how do they expect these people to survive. I can’t see any private employer taking on someone who is undergoing chemo…….Beyond belief and a poor reflection on our society
IDS IS A NASTY, DESPICABLE, DELUDED , IGNORANT, INCOMPETENT FOOL, AND I AM NOT APOLOGIZING EITHER.
you dont think you going to get a retracktion of whot ids said hes not for turning as prats like this have got into the governing of country through the back door whilst labour give us atos these are out to starve us out by stealing our benefits htus relieving them of thier problem us god help befor they do us all jeff3