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!

To all those saying there's not enough money, who is paying for this, magic money tree (can't fucking stand that phrase) etc, the estimated cost of HS2 is over 100 billion. Universal credit isn't enough to live on and furlough really needs to be extended for hospitality, the arts and travel without doubt. Perhaps capped at a lower level than previously.

I don't know the answer but do know that the Chancellor should give any further support equally to self-employed sole traders (who have not set up tax-avoiding limited companies and who do pay plenty of tax and NI contributions). The support for these people ended in August, 2 months before the support for those in employment.
Either way, these two groups should be treated the same.

I'll scream it with you, OP.

FREE MONEY, FREE MONEY FOR EVERYONE!

There are many that cant safely operate at the moment....but are we all saying we never want to go to a concert, theatre, sports match, wedding etc ever again?

Also, those employees will need other jobs, and they were quite thin on the ground before all this started. Letting all those businesses go under means a lot more people needing to claim benefits.

I get the argument, hell my husband is one of those affected. But even he knows we simply cannot afford for it to go on for another 6 months.

who have not set up tax-avoiding limited companies and who do pay plenty of tax and NI contributions

Just please stop with that. It's really not the only reason why some people operate as limited companies. I am so sick and tired of every single narrative having to be divisive.
People operating limited companies who paid no NI didn't get any help under furlough anyway, so why make a dig now? Those who did, did receive help as they were entitled to.

But even he knows we simply cannot afford for it to go on for another 6 months.

Whas it, what, £110 billion for the Moonshot thingy? Plus how much for Brexit? Seems things can be afforded if the will is there.

Sure. Too late for us though, dh was already made redundant post furlough.

Oh ftlog.

Because unfortunately no country can afford to pay people full salaries to sit at home on their arses! God it's not rocket science.

Who would pay for another furlough?

Our economy’s wrecked.

I’m a keyworker and worked all through the pandemic. DH worked from home while trying to look after the kids at the same time!
Why should we pay higher tax to extend the furlough scheme? So others get paid for not working while we drive ourselves into the ground holding down our jobs?

People need to think about re-training, apply for jobs they can do remotely or campaign to make their current job wfh.

Furlough was a temporary (and IMO generous) scheme but not designed for long term use. It’s the individual’s responsibility to make sure they’re financially secure, not the government’s.

I don't think it's necessary either.

A lot of people I know who have been furloughed aren't allowed to do work - have been upskilling themselves etc - and most of them are worried sick they won't have a job to return to at all, if and when they return to work. So no, it shouldn't be extended.

@sarahc336

Also for someone who struggled all through lock down as I'm a key worker whilst still doing my job at home so in a new way of working and trying to get my head round that whilst trying to complete child care and then listening to my neighbours having a "holiday" in their garden whilst doing up their house and having endless bbqs and drinking most nights and on almost full pay for doing nothing, then that's annoying to us key workers that have struggled on and then receive no thanks for it. We can't sustain it sorry op you may not agree with my opinion but just wanted to highlight the other type of worker during the covid pandemic not just the furloughed x

Totally agree! We were both key workers working from home and home schooling. I was so exhausted and fed up to the point I was prescribed antidepressants. Next door both furloughed enjoying the garden most days and to make it worse they were able to send their DD to school in June. As it was infant school they didn’t take Y1 back as no space so we were still left trying to survive whilst listening to them blasting out music enjoying their child free time. Ours couldn’t even go back as key worker children as apparently we were ‘lucky’ to be able to WFH!

We are going to have to find some way of supporting millions of people who are going to be jobless pretty soon, and as we currently don't have sufficient funds it appears we'll be borrowing to do it. I'm not sure however that furlough extension is necessarily the way to go.

As other posters have pointed out, some of those jobs aren't coming back and there does need to be a rebalancing. There are some jobs that genuinely were/could be saved by the furlough scheme, but other sectors are contracting and we don't do anyone any favours pretending otherwise. Plus it feeds into a really unfair disparity between people who were unemployed before this and have no work now and people who clearly don't have any work now but happened to be in work when this hit. It may be that reform of the benefits system is the best way to do it, because one thing I do know is that millions more people on UC rates is going to lead to significant societal problems. It was shit enough when the numbers involved were much smaller.

@RattleOfBars

Who would pay for another furlough?

Our economy’s wrecked.

I’m a keyworker and worked all through the pandemic. DH worked from home while trying to look after the kids at the same time!
Why should we pay higher tax to extend the furlough scheme? So others get paid for not working while we drive ourselves into the ground holding down our jobs?

People need to think about re-training, apply for jobs they can do remotely or campaign to make their current job wfh.

Furlough was a temporary (and IMO generous) scheme but not designed for long term use. It’s the individual’s responsibility to make sure they’re financially secure, not the government’s.

There are a few people I know who work in a company where some staff were furloughed (and have now returned to work) and some weren't furloughed.

There is definitely a bit of resentment now towards the ones who were furloughed by the ones who weren't furloughed now, and unsurprisingly.

I agree, why should I pay higher taxes for people to sit around and do nothing.

In my organisation (large) everyone was able to work from home during lockdown other than site staff - security, catering, cleaners, maintenance - who were furloughed.

We’ve all been back a few weeks. If our offices close again and these staff aren’t furloughed, they’ll lose their jobs I would imagine. And this isn’t a business that’s going to ‘go bust‘ any time soon . It’s public sector.

The most lowly paid workers seem to be hit hardest yet again. What an awful situation we are in. I’d happily pay more tax to see these jobs protected, personally.

The alternative is they all end up on UC. Can’t see how that’s better for anyone. Storing up all sorts of expensive problems down the line.

"and thanks to a thoughtless and selfish minority"

That's one way to describe the cabinet!

😂😂😂 so true

It shouldn't be extended, not just because the government can't afford it but it would also be further delaying the inevitable. Let's be clear many of these jobs don't exist anymore so rather than staying at home idle whilst being paid, these people should be encouraged to be looking for other jobs in different industries or locations (i.e. not city centers where housing is expensive anyway).

Another fucking post where the OP posts, inflames and runs. Have had enough.

Maybe part of the solutions would be helping these workers to retrain

ChaChaCha2012

and thanks to a thoughtless and selfish minority

That's one way to describe the cabinet!

@OpenlyGayExOlympicFencer

We are going to have to find some way of supporting millions of people who are going to be jobless pretty soon, and as we currently don't have sufficient funds it appears we'll be borrowing to do it. I'm not sure however that furlough extension is necessarily the way to go.

As other posters have pointed out, some of those jobs aren't coming back and there does need to be a rebalancing. There are some jobs that genuinely were/could be saved by the furlough scheme, but other sectors are contracting and we don't do anyone any favours pretending otherwise. Plus it feeds into a really unfair disparity between people who were unemployed before this and have no work now and people who clearly don't have any work now but happened to be in work when this hit. It may be that reform of the benefits system is the best way to do it, because one thing I do know is that millions more people on UC rates is going to lead to significant societal problems. It was shit enough when the numbers involved were much smaller.

It's a total shit storm.

I'm relatively lucky in that I'm on a contract (due to end in February 2021 though) but I think that will either be extended or I will get a job which is yet to be advertised (civil service and there is more than one of the same job). I'm lucky in that with recent and new work I can upskill myself so I'm put in the position where my skills mean it would mean more trouble and time training someone else to do my job but in the meantime I'd probably have not much trouble getting a similar job if my contract were to end etc.

I've known quite a few employment agency staff though who before Covid 19 were looking for and got other jobs and now lots of them have been furloughed and then made redundant. The jobs being advertised now just don't seem to be on the same scale as before and people rightly so are now clinging onto their jobs for dear life.

We do need to find more local work for people but a lot of local companies I know already employ either their own staff, a lot employ family members, and also certain areas like e.g. admin in an office this can be part time but is often snapped up by mothers locally.

One of my friends who's working as an office manager for a hedge fund company but all the staff there have been furloughed with I think little chance if she's made redundant I've encouraged to apply for civil service jobs - she speaks fluent French, English and Spanish - but obviously is looking for a role with security. It doesn't help that her bosses are both Europeans and employ Europeans and when Brexit hits I think there's a high possibility if working in London doesn't suit them then they'll move office to somewhere in Europe.

@CleverCatty that is an extremely heartwarming view to see someone take. Not many seem to realise it’s people like that that’ll be the first to lose their jobs, and they’re the ones the least able to afford to do so.

They won't extend it, because as far as Hancock and Johnson are concerned, the public are to blame for this latest balks up. So it'll be tough shit on the public, this is their additional "punishment".

Come the end of October, the shit will really hit the fan when businesses make even more people redundant or go through.

Having said all that, it wouldn't surprise me if he u-turns. He has on everything else.

Universal credit needs sorting out. If its not fit for purpose its terrible to leave people on it as it is. They were talking about freezing benefits.