Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

are furloughed people the new benefit scroungers?

379 replies

ghostmous3 · 22/05/2020 02:28

According to some posts that are doing the rounds on shitebook they are

Before lockdown people moaned about the 'feckless workshy' now the vitriol is aimed at the 'furloughed sitting on thier bums on beaches spreading germs, how dare they when weve got to work. We're paying for you're furlough'

I'm feeling bloody sensitive tonight. I didn't ask to be furloughed, I'm more than likely getting made redundant at the end of july and I dont go to beaches!

OP posts:
NoHardSell · 24/05/2020 10:50

Heaven forbid businesses pay anything

BlackberryCane · 24/05/2020 10:54

Well some of them are unlikely to be in a position to do so. But either way, you're likely to get that which you desire soon enough, so enjoy the rise in UC claims.

NoHardSell · 24/05/2020 10:57

Good

Fairer on everyone and we can see how we all feel about prolonged lockdown once it starts costing us something and isn't just an extended picnic in the park along with lovely times making memories and redecorating houses

Hellokitty82 · 24/05/2020 11:10

I'm an NHS worker and my nursery closed so we had no childcare so DP went on furlough - they asked for volunteers at his place but he wouldn't have volunteered if we'd have had childcare.
People need to look at the bigger picture in all this as I don't know one person who did this out of choice.

BlackberryCane · 24/05/2020 11:13

Hopefully most of the population will bother to do a bit more research on the scheme than you did before forming an opinion.

Justanotherscumbag · 24/05/2020 14:53

Good

Fairer on everyone and we can see how we all feel about prolonged lockdown once it starts costing us something and isn't just an extended picnic in the park along with lovely times making memories and redecorating houses

Well isn't that a lovely sentiment. Rather have people unemployed and on UC than going back to the jobs they already have.

This was always going to cost money, be it furlough and supporting businesses or statutory redundancy and job losses leading to an increase in benefit claims.
The country has been locked down, things that were every day events for people have been stopped, to help prevent the virus spreading too fast for the NHS to cope.
I presume in the time the government had to make these decisions, support for businesses and furlough was seen as the cheaper and better option, because let's face it, this government isn't exactly famed for supporting people who just want to have 'an extended picnic in the park', in any context.
They've chosen what appeared to be at the time (and no one knows until it's impact is looked at in the years to come) the best options for getting things back to normal once this has run it's course, with the least damage economically. They haven't done it to be kind, or because they felt bad.

Usernamerequired · 24/05/2020 14:59

Its a sad situation to be in and due to this pandemic i think a lot of people’s views of benefits will change. They are not just for the ill, elderly or ‘scroungers’ as people like so say. No one asked to be in this situation and i just hope everyone comes through it ok especially mental health wise.

LuaDipa · 24/05/2020 17:03

NoHardSell there is nothing fair about any of this. Mass unemployment certainly won’t help.

NoHardSell · 24/05/2020 17:08

Neither will a two tier benefit system where we freeze everything at the point corona hit

Lost your job before then? Welcome to the benefit cap

Lost your job after then? Sure, have whatever you previously earned. Oh and don't feel you need to look for a job. Just have a nice time at home. You other lot though, you keep filling in your work search diaries.

This lockdown is a pointless waste of time, needlessly destroying our economy. Until everyone starts feeling that economic pain apparently we are doomed to stay in it. Apart of course from our elite who just do whatever the fuck they want anyway.

NoWordForFluffy · 24/05/2020 17:31

They haven't lost their jobs though. Their employers - in the main - aren't able to open at the moment, but need to be able to at very short notice, which they can't if they have no staff.

Furlough payments aren't benefits. It's a job retention scheme, so not the same thing at all.

You're either deliberately obtuse or not capable of understanding the difference.

If they do lose their jobs, they'll go onto UC, like other unemployed people do.

Out of interest, why is your job ending in September if you're so busy now?

NoHardSell · 24/05/2020 17:42

Oh yes, that thing where you have a job but you don't need to do it. They totally have jobs. For sure completely different to not having a job. I mean, it looks like they don't have jobs to do, but that's just an illusion. No mass unemployment caused by pointless lockdown to see here. Stay home stay safe everyone. It's all fine.

NoWordForFluffy · 24/05/2020 17:52

@NoHardSell, you are making yourself look more and more daft the more you post.

You clearly don't understand the scheme's purpose or why it's been decided to bring it in. Or you're a GF. Or maybe a GF without a scooby.

LuaDipa · 24/05/2020 17:56

It’s really quite simple. Anyone currently on furlough leave is still employed, but the business does not have any work for them to do at the minute due to everyone being at home. There may or may not be a job for them at the end of this, we just won’t know until things begin to get back to some semblance of normality. I don’t see how anyone could begrudge anyone receiving 80% (or more) of their salary due to a situation that isn’t of their making and completely out of their control.

The furlough scheme is also helping employers to maintain their current staffing for the time being and not make rash decisions during an unprecedented crisis that again is not of their making and out of their control.

NoHardSell · 24/05/2020 19:02

Oh well, you see how you feel about it when we have bankrupted the economy and the nhs has folded. Nothing much I can do to stop this idiotic shitstorm continuing to unfold. Of course it's completely reasonable to just state subsidise businesses for six months and let people swan around on full/nearly full pay. Nothing else we could possibly do that might make more productive use of their time and our money. Great idea for 3 weeks. Appalling idea for longer. As is this lockdown.

Banj0girl · 24/05/2020 19:25

NoHardSell - Do let us hear your solution then !

NoWordForFluffy · 24/05/2020 19:29

Their solution is to make everybody on furlough redundant and put them on UC.

Which is rather short term thinking, given their places of employment are likely to open again soon.

EmpressoftheMundane · 24/05/2020 19:36

The furlough was a good idea to keep the economy going, but the problem is that the lockdown has gone on too long. The government is running scared of people who unreasonably want zero risk on this one single variable, and there is no opposition. Labour just wants to double down on lockdown. We are well and truly f**d.

NoHardSell · 24/05/2020 19:36

Are they opening soon? Or is it a neverending story we get told? Yes. Put them on UC. Let businesses decide if they are actually able to open or not. Let people decide how happy they are to continue lockdown on UC. Have a short list of businesses that the government refuses to let open for health reasons for the longer term (as opposed to the current version) and let them continue on furlough but with the status of redeployed civil servants. Set up a massive scheme to track and trace cv contacts, also a scheme to enable those shielding to be brought groceries etc. Redeploy those people to those jobs, after appropriate dbs checks and references. Optional of course. You have UC and job search instead if you prefer.
Open up society and schools. Get on with life.

NoHardSell · 24/05/2020 19:36

Starting about a month ago.

Justanotherscumbag · 24/05/2020 19:40

Their solution is to make everybody on furlough redundant and put them on UC.

Which is rather short term thinking, given their places of employment are likely to open again soon.

But it will stop everyone on furlough 'swanning around' and 'having an extended picnic in the park' don't ya know!
Never mind that the business they work for could go bust, withdrawing more jobs and then furloughed people won't be back at work and paying the increased taxes we're all going to pay to even all this out.

That, will apparently, make it all 'fairer' then. For some reason. 🤷

GnomeDePlume · 24/05/2020 19:46

So your suggestion is that my furloughed assistant should have been made redundant? Made redundant he would have gone and got another job. I am expecting him back as I am currently covering his work (as well as my own). I will then be stuck with recruiting to replace him. I may be able to replace his qualification level but I wont be able to replace his specific knowledge and experience.

Xenia · 24/05/2020 19:50

the scheme is abused a fair bit - eg people pretending not to work when they are and companies which in Jan were about to go under taking the money. Also if your employer alows it you can get a full time job elsewhere which is a bit unfair - you could be doubling your normal pay whilst many in the Uk don't get a penny of any scheme.

GnomeDePlume · 24/05/2020 20:15

But wouldnt many of those second jobs have been short term jobs such as in supermarkets? So key workers. In my area home shopping volumes have doubled. All those home shopping orders are being picked in the early hours so that the picking staff are finishing by the time customers come in.

This is close to or on NMW. Where emplyees were above the threshold and taking a 20% income cut that extra income from a second job maybe what is keeping a household's head above water.

emmaloo14 · 25/05/2020 00:21

I think part of the issue is that people are scared and jealous. The media rightly or wrongly has everyone running scared and when people are still going out to work each day or they are at home and trying to work and kids to educate as well and you see posts on Facefuck abut people doing homework improvements, house makeovers, enjoying their jacuzzis, playing with their kids, baking and all the other stuff posted on facefuck.

JustAnotherPoster00 · 25/05/2020 13:50

the scheme is abused a fair bit - eg people pretending not to work when they are

Yeah those right wingers like to spout this bollocks, they say it about legacy benefit and UC claims too