5-30am

Remploy factory in Sheffield - We arrive to support GMB picket. No pickets here yet, but cars already queueing – “somebody’s put a lock on the gates, we can’t get in!”

‘Somebody’ should put a stronger lock on next time because the strike-breakers were only held up for ten minutes.

GMB arrive with banners, placards, flags, umbrellas (not enough!), even a brazier and already chopped firewood!

Around 30 pickets are joined by ex-Remploy workers from York who after being made redundant last time round have set up a workers co-op.

Sheffield has escaped the axe this time. Unfortunately 20-odd workers go in to work, a lot - but not as many as feared. Management have split the workforce by a combination of intimidation and false promises about contracts and potential buy-outs. Don’t they realise that over 90% of the Remploy workers who lost their jobs last time are still on the dole?

Aneirin has been on the dole 4 years. He moved up from The Valleys but unemployment is as bad here. He's been at Remploy two weeks, on a WorkFare scheme. "No way I'm crossing a picket line" he says.
“It’s been a good day” says one of the pickets, expressing the solidarity of the strikers.

Tomorrow the Remploy workers are taking their message to Nick Clegg, at a ‘secret location’ in Sheffield. Two years after queues to vote Lib-Dem and Nick Clegg can’t appear openly in his own constituency city!Type your new text here.