Remploy Action Group Disappointment

On Monday along with a wide-range of colleagues across a variety of political parties and other organisations I attended the meeting of the Remploy Action Group.  I was disappointed to be made aware of the fact that the council would not be putting in a bid for the Remploy factory.  This jeopardises all the jobs there.  I hope that there is scope to find long-term sustainable jobs for all those involved at Remploy.  The way forward may well be as a social enterprise.  Despite claims that Dundee was the only council doing anything to support Remploy we heard that Stirling Council had made progress towards setting up a social enterprise, it would be good to know more about what they were doing.

 

My Scottish Labour colleagues, Jim McGovern MP, Jenny Marra MSP and Councillor Kevin Keenan, and I sent out a statement at the end of the meeting which is below.  We are committed to trying to help the workforce at Remploy as much as we can, and we will continue to work with them and their trade unions to try to find a long-term sustainable solution for them.

 

 

Statement on Remploy Action Group Meeting

 

Scottish Labour's representatives on the Remploy Action Group, Jim McGovern MP, Jenny Marra MSP, Councillor Kevin Keenan and Councillor Richard McCready made the following statement after the conclusion of the latest meeting of the Dundee Remploy Action Group.

 

 

"We are extremely disappointed for the Dundee Remploy workers by the outcome of today's meeting. Our thoughts are with those Remploy workers who are now likely to lose their jobs."

 

"We are very disappointed that the SNP Council will not be putting in a bid to save the Remploy factory."

 

"They say they've not got enough information about the business, but there was an opportunity to take an unsustainable business and add UK Government, Scottish Government and Council contracts to create a new sheltered workplace in Dundee."

 

"It needed political commitment from the SNP Council and Scottish Government which was sadly lacking.  The Remploy workforce will be disappointed, as this is not the outcome they would have hoped for."

 

"The PACE team will be involved and the Scottish Government need to deliver more than a Memorandum of Understanding and need to be serious about delivering jobs for Dundee."

 

"We are committed to working on with the Remploy workforce and their trade unions to deliver the best possible outcome for the workers involved."