FACTORIES that employ thousands of disabled workers are being deliberately starved of contracts under moves to close them, the GMB union says.

It said that nearly half of all British councils – 201 out of 408 – did not give any work to Remploy.

The organisation could lose its public funding as a result of a review looking at how money could be better spent to help disabled and disadvantaged people into work.

About 180 staff are employed by Remploy in the North-East – in Spennymoor, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Ashington, Northumberland. This week, the GMB handed a 100,000- name petition to 10 Downing Street calling on the Government to save Remploy’s 54 factories from closure.

GMB national officer Phil Davies said: “GMB is calling on all 201 councils that are not taking advantage of the EU rules that allow them to provide contracts to disabled workers in a sheltered company like Remploy to get a contract to their local Remploy factory as soon as possible.

The Government is planning to stop funding Remploy and thereby close all remaining 54 factories.

“The deliberate policy of starving Remploy factories of work has rendered them less economic, being only 50 per cent loaded with work because either public bodies have failed to support them with work as allowed under EU rules, or their own managers are turning down work.

“It would cost the Treasury less to keep the factories operating fully loaded rather than putting the workers out of work on benefits.

“The majority of Remploy workers who lost their jobs in 2008 are still on welfare three years later.”

Ken Stubbs, a GMB branch secretary based in Spennymoor, said: “We have had three contracts turned down for IT recycling.

“Remploy gave excuses saying we did not have enough people to carry out the work, but 32 people had already been paid off, taking voluntary redundancy. We have to consider a worse-case scenario which means the factory here could close.

“I do not think there will be any decision from the Department of Work and Pensions on this before Christmas. In the meantime, we are seeking a debate in Parliament.”