Disabled factory workers have started a week-long strike over the threat of redundancy.

GMB union members are taking action at the Remploy factory in Springburn, Glasgow.

The company has closed 24 factories across the UK in the last month and hopes to sell the site.

The union has accused the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of removing the obligation for a new employer to provide a pension, and warned that potential buyers may make redundancies based on an individual's disability.

Phil Brannan, GMB's convener of shop stewards for Scotland, has worked in the factory for 35 years. He said staff were given no details of the companies who could take over the workforce.

"All we're asking for is that we're told who the companies are. We don't want to know their business plans, you can understand that those are confidential, but we want to know the company so that we can talk to them about our fears and set up a partnership so that if we are taken over, the takeover is done smoothly and done fairly."

Workers are concerned that their company pensions will not be protected in any takeover, Mr Brannan said.

"We're worried that a commercial company will sacrifice the most severely disabled, what they see as the least productive, because they're here to maximise their profits," he said.

A DWP spokesman said pensions would be protected under employment regulations.

"The Government would encourage the trade unions to fully engage with Remploy to provide the best possible support and success for disabled staff who may leave the company," he said.

In a statement, Remploy said any bids for factories will be considered under a range of criteria including the continued employment of disabled people by any potential new owner.

"The company hopes to be in a position next month to announce a decision on any bids it has received. Until then the process continues and strike action will do nothing to secure the future jobs of Remploy employees."

A strike is also being held at a Remploy factory in Derbyshire in the same dispute.

Springburn worker Alex Robertson said: "The Government seem to be playing quite hard ball with us, and particularly at a time with the Paralympics when disabled people are in the spotlight. That's poor."