Ian Duncan-Smith Insults Hard-Working Disabled People

The Sunday Express was present a few days ago when Ian Duncan-Smith baited disabled workers present with:

“Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee?"

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/318425

Ian Duncan-Smith making unfounded statements about disabled workers to Remploy Representatives

Some years ago I worked in a Remploy factory and can therefore vouch for the productivity and industriousness of these workers. Workers in Remploy, when given proper investment of opportunity, in work, and in training proved more than competent to carry out the tasks as well as being inventive enough not to let their disabilities beat them.

“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.”

By 'better' I assume Duncan-Smith means putting real people out of, despite his propaganda, real jobs versus placing disabled workers into 'mainstream' employment. IDS is of course being disingenuous when he speaks of 'getting people into real jobs'. There are so few jobs, real or otherwise, out there; and those few that do exist are fought for tooth and nail giving employers the opportunity to cherry pick - if employers could circumvent the law to avoid employing disabled people in good times; they're certainly not going to become decent people now and begin employing us.

Stunned, Julie, 55, said: “We work in our factories!”

And work they do. Not only do Remploy factories make top grade furniture that graces our schools and the offices of businesses around the country. They are a vital part of the motor vehicle components sector. Remploy workers also produce helmet visors and anti-chemical/bacteria clothing for the armed services.

The factories are run on the same lines as any other commercial enterprise, in that staff clock in and out of work. They can be disciplined in exactly any the same way a worker would be in the private sector; and there are grievance procedures in place exactly as you would find in 'mainstream' employment.

The minister barked back: “You don’t produce very much at all.”

Interesting remark from someone from a party in government who during 19 years in control of this country through the 1980s and most of the 1990s produced what exactly? We do know what they destroyed:

·       Manufacturing

·       The coal industry

·       Shipbuilding

·       The steel industry

·       Whole communities in what was our industrial heartland

·       Our railway system

·       The link for retired people between and wage increases/RPI

·       The countries utilities - all in the blessed cause of choice!

·       Council housing stock

·       And last, but not least they tried to consign society to the dustbin

An even more remarkable comment from a government who thus far in two years is destroying our Welfare State and NHS, while blithely dragging us into a double-dip recession by employing austerity remedies that are failing in Ireland; using cures that see unemployment amongst young people in Spain at over 50%; and adopting the same kind of economic solutions that has Greece teetering on the edge of anarchy.

Ian Duncan-Smith, I put it to you that you don't produce very much at all!