To SCREAM from the rooftops that furlough needs to be extended at least 6 more months

[Marg33t]

Furlough saves jobs and saves people's health. Why is the extension not announced today?

People are losing their jobs at a rapid rate as it's near to the 30-45 days for consultations for redundancies. It needs to be extended or more people will lose their jobs. Other counties are running it until next year and it makes me feel sick that we aren't protecting and saving jobs!

@MillieEpple yes exactly that. You can be sure they never gave it a second thought before now.

Furlough was abused quite widely.
Furlough encourages people who are furloughed to mix with other households to fill up their days.

Unemployment is terrible, I hope it is minimised as much as possible, I'm terrified for my future.
I just don't think furlough is the solution.

@EnglishGirlApproximately

Good grief we really need to teach more economics in schools. People on here seem to think national debt is like household debt. You boost an economy by making sure people have money to spend, not by letting everyone go on benefits.

Plenty of us are educated in economics. How patronising!

It doesn't have to be one or the other. Furlough is clearly not the answer - it's just not feasible to continue to pay people up to 2.5k a month to sit at home and not work for months on end. The flip side is that UC is not enough to support a family with a mortgage and relevant bills, so letting everyone claim benefits isn't the solution either.

A flat universal income for everyone would be ideal, though ideally we'd have had this in place way before now. Then everyone would be able keep themselves housed and fed while they couldn't work due to COVID.

@vanillandhoney I haven't said that extending furlough is the answer. I'd prefer targetted support for industries who are unable to reopen due to government imposed restrictions. If you understand economics then great, clearly not aimed at you. But the constant comments about magic money trees make it really clear that plenty of people get their knowledge from something they once read on social media. Its a nonsense, glib throwaway comment which people make to try to sound superior.

I understand the need for the furlough scheme, but I was working an incredibly demanding job from home throughout lockdown, as well as failing to educate my two young children (and constantly needing to catch up on work in evenings and mornings). My house was a tip and everything was falling to bits. I had it far easier than my friend who is a nurse. My neighbour spent the same period writing a novel, working on their side project (a website), doing DIY, gardening and enjoying the sun, on almost full pay. I don't think that's a sustainable way of dividing up the load in society.

Scream away OP- nobody is listening.

@yelyah22

How long do you think furlough should go on for? Six months? A year? Two years?

Other European countries (Germany, I think) are extending it for 21 months.

Do you know the economic state of the UK vs Germany? Presumably not.

I don’t think that furlough is actually working anymore and to some extent is open to abuse. However I do think the welfare system needs to be reviewed to one that enables people to have a basic standard of living rather than finding themselves unable to feed themselves, heat their homes and possibly losing them. Particularly as a vast majority of the newly unemployed will be placed in the position through no fault of their own.

I understand the need for the furlough scheme, but I was working an incredibly demanding job from home throughout lockdown, as well as failing to educate my two young children (and constantly needing to catch up on work in evenings and mornings). My house was a tip and everything was falling to bits. I had it far easier than my friend who is a nurse. My neighbour spent the same period writing a novel, working on their side project (a website), doing DIY, gardening and enjoying the sun, on almost full pay. I don't think that's a sustainable way of dividing up the load in society.

I'm not sure how this would work practically ? So they cant do your job, look after your child (due to contact/SD rules) presumably not qualified to help the nurse.....?
I was furloughed ,I felt bad but i didnt have any work to do. If i went to work there would be nothing to do anyway. It's a job i trained for years to do. (I'm back now if that makes any difference)

A lot of fuss being made about Universal Credit, which is fine and good.

I have to say I find it very interesting, the amount of people on FB who have for ages whinged on about how those on UC can - afford foreign holidays, huge TVs, drinking everyday etc etc, how they are 'given way too much from my taxes', how they should be made to work for free (workfare ever made the slightest bit of sense to me at all..), lazy people who want something for nothing, but most of all..how they get WAY too much if they are able to buy even one thing thats not an essential (obviously totally ignoring hat many on UC ar working too anyway) - who suddenly think that UC is far too low for anyone to live on, should be raised to at least 2x its current level, its for people who are down on their luck, not their fault, etc etc.

Quick turnaround for sure, once it looks a bit like they might have to claim it. I mean, its quite common for people to care more when its going to be them, thats human nature, but the sheer amount of benefit bashing these people did beforehand..sheer amount of utter lies they spread about those n UC..if the situation was not so dire, I would actually find it slightly amusing that these people suddenly might have to become 'scroungers' who have huge tvs, are overpaid and do nothing all day as they dont want to work!!!!!!

@NellieWellietheEllie

I understand the need for the furlough scheme, but I was working an incredibly demanding job from home throughout lockdown, as well as failing to educate my two young children (and constantly needing to catch up on work in evenings and mornings). My house was a tip and everything was falling to bits. I had it far easier than my friend who is a nurse. My neighbour spent the same period writing a novel, working on their side project (a website), doing DIY, gardening and enjoying the sun, on almost full pay. I don't think that's a sustainable way of dividing up the load in society.

This is how I feel too. I’ve been working late every day from home, didn’t take a holiday all summer, in between neighbours with kids screaming on the trampoline all day and music blaring on one side, and neighbours shouting and playing the fucking drums on the other side. I have melted down several times from the stress and haven’t had time to go on a daily walk. My house being a tip is lazy DP’s fault though

I love my job and I love that it helps the public. I don’t want people to suffer hardship. But I also can’t help but feel slightly resentful when I compare my experience with people literally being paid more than me to do nothing

@Marg33t

Furlough saves jobs and saves people's health. Why is the extension not announced today?

People are losing their jobs at a rapid rate as it's near to the 30-45 days for consultations for redundancies. It needs to be extended or more people will lose their jobs. Other counties are running it until next year and it makes me feel sick that we aren't protecting and saving jobs!

Other countries didnt have Tony Blair starting an endless war in the dessert after wasting the opportunity to build up a surplus.

Furlough has been abused by so many companies and had this not been allowed maybe we could extend it to those who need it but a lot of these jobs will not exist at the end of it.

People have used it as apparently they cant WFH with a child around, millions of other did and yes it was hell but it cant be one rule for one parent and one for another.

Many companies will also clean out the dead wood they have never been able to before.

It's a terrible state but what can be done, I doubt alot of pubs will survive the 10pm curfew let alone winter with not being able to maximise outside space

whos going to pay for that?

The furlough scheme was a good idea in theory, but sadly it was abused by some big companies. DP works for Next and was furloughed for a few months, as were others in his department (head office, not shop floor). They’re all back now, and have been congratulated on Next making a tidy profit in the past 6 months. Clearly there was no need to furlough staff - no one was at risk of losing their jobs - it was purely done to save the company money. Personally I think companies who’ve made a profit and not made redundancies should have to pay back their furlough money.

I’ve only looked through half the thread, a lot of posters have said people won’t starve and will just go on UC.

Can I ask what universal credit covers and how much people will typically get.

Will it be enough to cover mortgage payments and household bills plus food.

How much people get depends on circumstances. UC doesn't provide help towards mortgage payments but there is usually some help towards rent.

Single people get minimal help, around £100 pw plus a contribution towards rent if applicable.

Couples with no DC where one is still working probably get nothing unless the worker is very low paid.

People with DC might get a reasonable top up whether not working or in low paid work including help with childcare costs.

People would need to find other work and if not prioritise food and get behind with other payments. There might be the scope to get a loan from the government to help with mortgage costs but the lack of help for homeowners means that where possible people need to have savings and/or insurance to protect against income loss and need to prioritise this over other lifestyle costs like eating out, technology, clothes, cars, holidays etc.

My company has staff on furlough while it has just had its most profitable month ever, but it was not breaking any laws. It made excellent economic sense not to pay people whom it did not, at that time have work for. People could also choose to furlough if they had children at home.

Thanks @BarbaraofSeville.

UC is not great. I am on UC, I have a severely disabled child. It is shit, it is not a lot. A lot of families with disabled children are pushed down UC (and poverty) because there is no wrap around childcare, school holiday childcare, respite care and etc needed to enable a parent to work. Many children like my DD don't even have s school place (yes, this has been happening way before Covid).

Nobody got outraged on our behalf and how families like us have a decent standard of living or pay the mortgage. Why is it so much more important to protect the living standard and mortgage payments if someone bis facing a Covid related job loss.

and I have been once on a holiday with DD. the amount of nasty comments I got (in RL, not on here) for having the audacity to go manage to go one week away whilst being on UC and how cushy my life must be not working (never mind the unpaid care work I do). Well, UC cannot be that bad. somehow, if you received it you get vilified but if you are facing it because of Covid, you are above it and should get special protection? really?

Well obviously it does. They can't go back to lockdown and not extend it.

@Mintychoc1

But weren’t staff furloughed because they couldn’t attend work due to lockdown? Or were they furloughed on a different basis at Next?

I do recall companies such as virgin coming forward to claim relief when they pay massive dividends to shareholders. And Denmark and Poland excluding any companies operating in tax havens from claiming on coronavirus relief schemes.

But weren’t staff furloughed because they couldn’t attend work due to lockdown? Or were they furloughed on a different basis at Next?

lack of childcare was one reasons to request furlough. Some companies granted it whilst others made parents work whilst looking after young children/homeschooling. So lack of business was not the only furlough reason.

Well people working at Next Head office could have worked from home.

I'm sure that many finance, HR, H&S, PR, IT etc people working for a clothing retailer that continued to maintain an online presence would have had plenty of work to be getting on with.

I know a lot of people in such fields who have been extremely busy and WFH during the last 6 months and will continue to do so. Definitely sounds like Next were just taking the opportunity of a taxpayer subsidised wage bill for a few months.

I really hope those worried about furlough ending people extend the same compassion to those already on UC or living on carers alloeance. £67.60 a week for proving 35 hours a week care

that is my point. if it is good enough for carers and families with disabled family members (no outrage there on MN), why is UC below those without disabilities/caring responsibility??