THE majority of disabled workers laid off when the Government axed Remploy factories remain unemployed one year on, a report has revealed.

According to the GMB union only one in four ex-Remploy staff are in work, with many of those who have jobs on shorter hours and less pay.

Workshops in Spennymoor, County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle and Ashington in Northumberland, were among the 36 factories to close, costing 135 jobs.

The GMB report, which marked the first anniversary of the end of the closure programme, said many former workers were now sitting at home “depressed and isolated.”

The findings paint a different picture to figures from the Department of Work and Pensions, which state 80 per cent of ex-Remploy workers have found jobs or are receiving specialist employment support and training.

Ken Stubbs, a branch secretary for the GMB’s Northern region, said only ten per cent of the 41 former employees at the Spennymoor factory were back in work.

He said the majority of new jobs had been created in Wales, thanks to the Welsh Government’s Employer Support Grant.

Mr Stubbs said: “There are now no factories for disabled people, very few jobs for disabled people and no policy on helping them find work. It is a disgrace.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: "Disabled people deserve the same employment choices as everyone else - rather than being consigned to work in segregated and loss-making factories.

"A comprehensive 18-month support package, worth £8 million, was provided for those made redundant.

"Since last year, over 80 per cent of ex-Remploy workers have found jobs or are receiving specialist employment support and training to help them find one."