UNION leaders have called for a Government investigation into why a public relations firm is being paid to advise a company considering the closure of factories employing disabled workers.

The GMB yesterday called for answers about how much Portland had been paid to advise Remploy.

The public sector company has been in dispute with unions since May, when it announced plans to close its poorest performing factories, with the loss of 2,500 jobs.

Six of the 43 factories identified for closure are in the North-East, which would lead to the redundancies of 351 workers, included 328 disabled people in the region.

Remploy centres in Spennymoor, County Durham; Hartlepool; Stockton; York; Ashington, in Northumberland; and Jarrow, South Tyneside, could be shut or merged.

Bosses said the factories made a loss of almost £6m last year.

GMB general secretary Paul Kenny said in a letter to Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain: "I would be grateful if you would call for a full investigation into why Portland PR were employed by Remploy, what they have been doing, how much they have been paid, and who they report to."

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said the letter had been received and Mr Hain would respond in due course.

A Remploy spokesman said: "We have been using Portland since November 2006 to provide advice and support in raising the profile of our employment services business, which supports disabled people into jobs with mainstream employers.

"In April 2007, this was extended to public affairs advice on how we consult and maintain contact with a wide range of stakeholders and others who have an interest in Remploy's modernisation proposals."

The managing director of the London PR firm is Tim Allan, former press secretary to Tony Blair when he was Prime Minister.

Unions are planning a series of protests outside the threatened factories ahead of a demonstration at the Labour Party's annual conference next month.

Remploy says no disabled person will face compulsory redundancy and has promised to quadruple the number of jobs it finds for disabled people in mainstream employment.