A woman with learning disabilities has said she does not want the job offered to her by WHSmith after being told by the company her services were no longer needed.

Karen Godfrey, 44, had worked at the firm's store in Monmouth, south Wales, as part of a work-based placement for the last five years in exchange for gift vouchers.

Huw Edwards MP highlighted the case at the Commons

Just before Christmas, she was told by the manager not to return as she was not covered by their insurers.

However, the company has offered Ms Godfrey - who worked one morning a week - a job with the same role and responsibility with full pay and benefits, after pressure from politicians.

But Ms Godfrey told BBC Wales that, although she liked the work she carried out, and her colleagues, she had refused the firm's offer.

"Because I am a handicapped person, they thought they could get rid of me and that's not fair.

"I don't want to go back at all."

The Disability Rights Commission has said it would back Ms Godfrey if she chose to take action against the company over her employment position.

All efforts should be made to find people full-time or part-time paid positions Alun Thomas, Disability Rights Commission

Alun Thomas, the commission's head of communications, said the organisation was concerned at the firm giving Ms Godfrey gift vouchers in return for her labour.

He said: "It's completely unacceptable in this day and age.

"It's akin to exploitation of disabled people who want opportunities to integrate into the workforce as Karen effectively did."

Mr Thomas also said there was a lesson to be learnt by those organisations providing work-based placements for people with disabilities.

"The real difficulty here is that when an individual goes on a placement, then all efforts should be made to find people full-time or part-time paid positions.

Commons

"We don't want to discourage placements as such, because they are a key opportunity, particularly for people with severe or moderate learning difficulties, to enter into the labour market.

"But quite clearly, more needs to be done to ensure those opportunities exist.

"Otherwise companies, including multinational companies, and large companies like WHSmith, would be accused of exploitation of those disabled people that are taken on."

Huw Edwards, MP for Monmouth highlighted the case at the Commons on Thursday.

Six MPs, including Mr Edwards signed a motion condemning the company.

A spokesperson for the company said: "Karen has worked in the WHSmith store in Monmouth since October 1996 as part of an arrangement with Pathways - an employment agency administered by Mencap.

'Insurance'

"Under this arrangement Pathways and Karen's family agreed a remuneration of a �5 gift voucher for the four hours a week that she spent in store stacking shelves and doing some light cleaning.

"When the store manager discovered a potential issue with the employer's liability insurance he explained to Karen that he could no longer accommodate her work placement in store.

"We have offered Karen a permanent position in store working four hours per week with full pay and benefits, which we very much hope she will accept."