REMPLOY’s controversial factory in York has been sold.
The bang of a gavel at an auction in Nottingham may as well have hammered the last nail into the coffin of hopes for disabled people in the city that one day their factory in Redeness Street would reopen.
Auctioneers Savills said huge interest in the 71,000 square foot-plus building triggered a spate of bids.
But in the end a long leasehold and vacant possession on the premises went for £180,000 – way below the asking price of between £250,000 to £275,000. The land on which it stands continues to belong to the City of York Council.
The news was greeted “with disgust” by John Wilson, assistant GMB shop steward. He represents the 51 Remploy employees at York who were offered redundancy pay-offs when the premises closed in March as part of a Government cost-cutting exercise.
Mr Wilson, who was today demonstrating for the cause of York’s Remploy Workers outside the Labour Party Conference in Manchester, said: “The sale of this building is a disgrace.
“Not only did the building leasehold owned by the Remploy board sell for far less than was expected, but it was at the cost of people’s dignity.
“Last November, the Remploy board promised us that within six months there would be a new job shop, fully manned to help 50 disabled people per year back into full time jobs. There is still no sign of it.
“Meanwhile, of 20 people who stayed with Remploy to the bitter end only two have found full time jobs at Asda. Others are ‘on trial’ at Tesco and Sainsbury’s and charity shops. They have been turned literally into charity cases and sold down the river.
“What we need now is a new factory to be established in York.”
A spokeswoman for Savills said: “The property was sold to an undisclosed telephone bidder.”
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