Summit hope for Blindcraft

The workshop in Craigmillar employs around 70 people - around half of them blind or disabled - manufacturing beds, but it has been badly hit by the recession.

Now the city council plans to slash its 1 million a year financial support.

A formal 30-day consultation on possible closure of the factory, which is owned and managed by the city council's health and social care department, was launched on September 28.

During a debate in the Scottish Parliament, Labour's Sarah Boyack and George Foulkes called on the minister to hold talks with Blindcraft and the council in a bid to keep it open.

Ms Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, said the factory's plight had been debated in the parliament in January, but that no action had followed. She added: "If nothing happens in the next month, these jobs will go.

"The time for action is now. We cannot come back in six months' time and have this debate again. Blindcraft won't be here."

She added: "If we don't have Blindcraft, there will not be supported employment for these staff in Edinburgh. Nobody will pick up the threads." Mr Mather indicated he was willing to host talks on the factory's future and said the meeting should include the council, customers, suppliers, the hospitality sector, unions, private sector companies and Scottish Enterprise.

He promised to do his best to ensure there was no delay in holding the talks in view of the consultation deadline, and said: "This has to be everyone involved and making this happen."

Lothians MSP Lord Foulkes welcomed the summit but said there were major hurdles in trying to save the factory.

He said: "It's still not going to be easy.

"We're going to have to push very hard to get something to come out of this meeting."

During the debate, which was attended by staff from Blindcraft, Labour called on the Scottish Government to set deadlines for all public bodies to award at least one contract to firms staffed by disabled people and also urged the appointment of a disabled workers' champion."

Mr Mather said he would bring forward a timetable for contracts to be awarded.