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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Can someone please explain the 80 per cent salary cover

346 replies

noFlowers · 20/03/2020 18:20

Sorry if I'm being stupid but what does this mean!

Does it mean businesses who may lay off staff get 80% of staff salaries to pay them so they can still work.

Or does it mean you lost your job due to all this and you're at home and you get 80% of your salary.

OP posts:
wowfudge · 20/03/2020 19:15

During the financial crisis I was working for a company where in some departments the staff agreed to work four days instead of five and all took a 20% pay cut. No one was made redundant and when things picked up again they went back to a five day week and full salaries. This will help businesses who can't operate - similar idea.

TeenPlusTwenties · 20/03/2020 19:20

My DD had already been told she would only be on 70% of normal pay (taking her under minimum wage for her age). Hopefully this will help secure her job and pay a bit more.

RoseGoldEagle · 20/03/2020 19:21

BlueGheko I’m wondering the same thing. It looks like I’ll have to take unpaid leave to look after my children, I’m unsure whether my employers could claim for this. I suspect not because the work is there to do, and they’d pay me if I was able to do it. Am sure there must be loads of people in the same position?

thelittlefox · 20/03/2020 19:22

@Anyfucker

I get that. But when you consider that potentially everyone STILL WORKING has just taken a 20% pay cut, it's not such shiny good news is it? And it's particularly grim for those already laid off / zero hours who are now getting 80% of fuck all.

UBI via tax code would have been more effective and appropriate IMO.

merrytombombadil · 20/03/2020 19:26

It's not everyone still working. I'm working from home and doing my normal hours. My employer will pay me as normal and not use the grant. Almost everyone at my large organisation is in the same boat.

AnyFucker · 20/03/2020 19:26

I agree tjat UBI would be better and have been saying that for a week but this is what we have

And the wage subsudy is backdated to 1st March

thelittlefox · 20/03/2020 19:29

Not convinced.

Paddingtonthebear · 20/03/2020 19:29

I volunteered to take unpaid leave because I have no work to do and my company cannot afford to pay me because we have had to close until the world returns to normal, until then the company has no income. Can I assume that this grant is for people like me who are still employed, not getting paid, but hope to have a job to go back to as and when possible? To avoid redundancy?

lyralalala · 20/03/2020 19:29

And it's particularly grim for those already laid off

Anyone who was employed on Feb 28th can qualify so busineses that have had to lay staff off in the last couple of weeks may actually be able to retain their workforce after all.

WaxItLyrical · 20/03/2020 19:33

Do the employers need to pay the wage help back to the government after it’s over?

BrunoLovesMe · 20/03/2020 19:33

Does this have to be applied for or does it happen automatically?

Geepipe · 20/03/2020 19:34

What does this mean for people like me on a zero hour contract? I was told i had a week left of work as they couldnt afford to keep me. Im wondering if this means i can keep my job afterall?

thelittlefox · 20/03/2020 19:35

Sorry, I mean not convinced lots of employers won't use this as an excuse to reduce their wage bill even where they are not claiming the grant. Sincerely hope I'm wrong.

Clearly these measures will help many people. Not bitching about that!

Iusedtobeapartygirl · 20/03/2020 19:36

I'm a supply teacher so wonder if this will apply to me too, as at the moment I'm facing earning nothing for months and months.

I've been working at one school for half the week for this whole academic year.

lilyboleyn · 20/03/2020 19:36

@Geepipe if you’ve got a consistent pattern of pay from previous PAYE I think you’re covered.

Sugarplumfairy65 · 20/03/2020 19:36

Those if you complaining that its only 80% of your normal wage, spare a thought for the self employed

Justanotherlurker · 20/03/2020 19:37

UBI via tax code would have been more effective and appropriate IMO.

There is a reason why no economist or country is trying to push this, and it's probably why you have no understanding of economics.

Trying to shoe horn in some kind of 'disaster socialism' is not needed at this point.

This isn't like the 2008 financial crash as there was a definite process of the markets sorting themselves out, this is a pandemic that at the minute has no defined end point, it is why all the comments about 'magic money tree' show how little they understand the situation in 2008 v now or even basic economics. It isn't a time to try and play politics.

lilyboleyn · 20/03/2020 19:37

@Iusedtobeapartygirl same for you I think. They said if you had a consistent pattern of pay and hours...

DrManhattan · 20/03/2020 19:37

Ubi was the way to go

Iusedtobeapartygirl · 20/03/2020 19:38

Oh that would be so great! I'll email the school on Monday.

Amicompletelyinsane · 20/03/2020 19:38

Companies won't take up on it because its a loan. They still have to pay it back. Think they get no interest for 12 months. Small companies won't want that burden

Geepipe · 20/03/2020 19:39

Thank you! This could be great news for people like me.

lyralalala · 20/03/2020 19:40

Companies won't take up on it because its a loan. They still have to pay it back. Think they get no interest for 12 months. Small companies won't want that burden

It's not a loan. The wages guarantee is a grant.

clarebear99 · 20/03/2020 19:40

80% is very good especially when you think about your travel to work costs

MarshaBradyo · 20/03/2020 19:40

Blimey a nearly full wage bill for every employee and still people expect more. It’s a huge amount.