MORE than 3,000 people have signed a petition calling for Remploy factories in the North-East to remain open.

The document was yesterday handed to North Tyneside MP Stephen Byers in a fight to save more than 500 jobs believed to be under threat in the region.

A Government review of Remploy, which was launched after some of its 82 factories were found to be financially unsustainable, has led to concern among unions and disabled workers that North-East sites could be closed down.

GMB branch secretary Kenneth Stubbs has led a regional campaign to safeguard the future of factories in Newcastle, Gateshead, Jarrow, Sunderland, Spennymoor, Hartlepool, and Stockton.

Yesterday, Mr Stubbs handed the petition over in the hope it will put pressure on the Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire.

He added that the review team need to "seriously consider the benefits of a more modern Remploy".

The Department for Work and Pensions is reviewing how Remploy operates after a critical report by the National Audit Office.

When the review was launched in March, Ms McGuire said Remploy needed to change, with more emphasis on integrating disabled employees into mainstream workplaces.

The review is expected to conclude at the end of this week and Mr Stubbs thinks that workers will learn of their fate early next month.

"We are fully expecting closures to be announced and, instead of talking about the possibilities of them, we expect them to be named," he said.

"We are all in this together and will oppose any factory closure regardless of where it is. As soon as we find out what the outcome of this review is, then we will be launching a national campaign against any closures."

Remploy has said that any suggestion of factory closures was pure speculation. Last week, chief executive Bob Warner said: "We are expanding the number of jobs that we find for disabled people and plan to continue to do so."