UNIONS involved in the Remploy pay dispute yesterday accused the Government of interfering in talks involving factories that employ disabled workers.

Officials said negotiations affecting the 83 factories run by the company, which employ 500 people in the North-East and North Yorkshire, were suddenly halted at the request of a minister at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Phil Davies, national officer of the GMB, urged the Government to allow Remploy's management to negotiate next year's pay, despite union fears that a number of factories were under threat of closure.

He said: "This is a difficult time for Remploy workers as they worry that they may not have a job if the proposed closures go ahead and it is made difficult with a ban on pay talks."

A spokesman for the DWP said: "The Government is committed to the long-term future of Remploy, which is why we have guaranteed funding of £111m a year for the next five years, with the aim of giving employment opportunities to even more disabled workers. We are awaiting the final pay remit from the company. Once we have seen it and agreed it, the company can finalise a pay offer to the trade unions."