Tomorrow morning members of staff from Craigmillar's threatened Blindcraft factory will be in parliament to hear their fate being debated.
Each week political parties get a chance to raise an issue for debate in the Holyrood chambers. It's the Scottish Labour party's turn tomorrow and its members have decided to use the time to call on the Scottish government to keep a promise to ensure every public body in Scotland awards a contract to a supported employment business.
The Blindcraft factory, which employs around 70 people producing beds for hotels and retailers, is among those the Article 19 European directive aims to support.
But with the recent City of Edinburgh Council decision to consult on closing the factory to save £700,000, the workforce - largely made up of people with visual impairments and disabilities - is facing an uncertain future.
The Save Blindcraft Campaign - started by Hannah Lister, 21, who has a close family friend that works for Blindcraft, now has 390 signatures on an online petition.
Labour members are expected to tell fellow MSPs that they can't find any evidence that a single contract using Article 19 has been awarded so far.
Staff from Blindcraft and other supported employment projects from across Scotland will attend the debate.
Labour's enterprise spokesman Lewis Macdonald said:
"These workers want to get on with their jobs and deliver great products. Politicians must ensure that the government keeps its promises and ensures that public bodies are using these great projects.
"Blindcraft in Edinburgh faces a very uncertain future but I hope this debate will show that every party in the Parliament is willing to work for a positive outcome for the workforce there and a sustainable future for every supported business in Scotland."
The motion being debated tomorrow:
Supported employment - That the Parliament notes the Scottish Government's policy that every public body should aim to have at least one contract with a supported factory or business, as set out in its Social Issues in Public Procurement guidance document in October 2007 and reiterated as part of the Scottish Sustainable Procurement Action Plan in October 2009; welcomes this approach, as the most effective means of public policy support for the sector; regrets the lack of evidence that this policy has been effectively pursued over the last three years; and calls on the Scottish Government to set a timetable for every public body for which it is responsible in Scotland to have at least one contract with a supported factory or business.
Green MSP Robin Harper previously tabled a motion also calling on support for Blindcraft. Read more about it here.
