MORE than 2,000 workers are facing unemployment after the UK's largest employer of disabled people closed half its factories.

In the North-East, Remploy factories in Spennymoor, County Durham; Hartlepool; Stockton; York; Ashington, in Northumberland; and Jarrow, on Tyneside, will be closed or merged. The factories made a loss of almost £6m last year. Factories in Sunderland, Newcastle and Gateshead will remain open.

In the North-East and North Yorkshire, 351 people will be made redundant - including 328 disabled people.

Remploy vowed that no disabled people would face compulsory redundancy and promised to quadruple the number of jobs it finds for disabled people in mainstream employment.

Yesterday's announcement had been expected, but it was a bigger blow than unions predicted.

Jenny Formby, from the T&G section of Unite, and chairwoman of the Remploy Trade Union Consortium, said: "The sheer scale of the closures and its impact on disabled workers is both shocking and unprecedented."

The unions are now threatening strike action at all 83 Remploy factories. Nationally, 32 factories will close and 11 will merge.

Last night, unions and disability charities criticised the company. Gordon Pybus, chairman of Darlington Association on Disability, said: "The infrastructure to help disabled people get into mainstream employment just isn't there yet. And there are already a lot of disabled people who can't get jobs."

One Remploy worker, who did not want to be named, said: "If we could work in mainstream environments we would do, but the truth is they aren't set up to cater for our disabilities.

"Many of us have applied for jobs, but once the boss realises the extent of our disability the offer is withdrawn. They don't say why, but we know they assume we can't do the job, are worried about their image, won't pay the extra insurance or take on the responsibility of our welfare."

Yesterday, workers at Remploy in Spennymoor, County Durham, were called into the canteen at noon and were shown a corporate DVD informing them the factory would be closing.

Safety officer Ken Stubbs said: "One of the lads was in tears because we thought Spennymoor would survive. Everybody is gutted. Most people have worked here ten to 30 years, it is like a family. That family is being ripped apart."

Mr Stubbs, the GMB union representative, was heading to London last night as his union planned action. He said: "The message is that the real war starts now." Yesterday afternoon, as the Spennymoor employees headed home, they criticised the way they were informed of the closure.

One worker, who is hard of hearing, said: "It was upsetting and made more difficult because there was no one making the announcement with sign language.

"We had to figure it out ourselves, I think it is disgusting."

Bob Warner, Remploy's chief executive, said every job in a Remploy factory costs more than £20,000 and, for the same money, he company can place four people in mainstream employment