Anti-war protesters and workers from the threatened Remploy factories for disabled people lobbied the Labour Party hustings for Gordon Brown and the deputy leader contenders on Thursday.
Sean McGovern, the London branch secretary of Remploy for the T&G section of the new Unite union, told Socialist Worker, “We want the candidates to support an early day motion in parliament calling for a moratorium on Remploy factory closures.
“We want the reversal of the decision to close our factories and give disabled people a choice in work, which they don’t have at the moment. Society, business and the government all militate against us.
“A union activist asked Gordon Brown in the meeting if he would support our strike ballot against the closures. Brown just batted the question away.
“The only bit of controversy in the whole meeting was when someone asked the deputy leader candidates what they felt about the disappointing failure of John McDonnell to get on the ballot paper for leader of the Labour Party.
“The chair also asked them a question about the Iraq war. Alan Johnson spoke against the renationalisation of the railways.
“Jon Cruddas probably got the most applause.”
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