Aibu to think the new Sunak scheme is woeful

[Marg33t]

New scheme is going to make lots of people lose their homes and starve.

Employers to pay 1/3rd of wages is way too high. They will cut viable jobs that will bounce back otherwise.

I'm happy to pay my taxes for all that need it to continue to receive furlough as this scheme will keep people in poverty.

Aibu to think it's a mistep?

People are posting as if some elements are shut. They are not. Galleries are all open, you can visit one if you value the arts.

Not sure about filming industry but I doubt they are not back working.

Does anyone hear ‘jobs in the arts’ and just think ‘hobby’

No I dont. And unless you've never hired a band, a DJ, a party planner, gone to a theatre, bought a painting, watched a TV programme, then you would be very short sighted to hold such a view

@ChromaBook
‘trained for nothing else’ if needs must we can turn our hands to most things, maybe not of equivalent salary but something to put food on the table. Too many ppl think anything outside their field is beneath them, now is the time to look at other ways of earning.

@WokThisWay really??

Only people who don't...
ever watch TV - TV shows are being filmed
go to the theatre - they are able to open
listen to music - music production is going ahead
have children who have music lessons - my son enjoyed his guitar lesson yesterday thank you.
have children who are in a school choir - my niece is back to her singing
read a book - books are being published
have social or medical issues whether their lives are improved by play/music therapists - therapies have been allowed to go ahead for months now
go to the cinema - yeah, that was almost as weird as the circus tbh but apart from my glasses steaming up a few times it was good.

Too many ppl think anything outside their field is beneath them, now is the time to look at other ways of earning.

It's not about her thinking other jobs are beneath her, it's about her literally not being given any interviews, for anything, because she doesn't have the right experience. How is that difficult to understand?

Re the arts, lots of artists could teach other adults 1 to 1 online or 1 to 2 etc.. All those bankers/insurance company workers/lawyers not commuting and saving 1-2 hours a day. Perhaps they could try and learn a new skill. I have seen this happening locally to us already. If you know someone in the arts and are saving some money on foreign holidays, how about learning a new "arts" skill to support those artists.

@peachgreen

Universal basic income is the only solution.

This I would wholeheartedly support paying higher taxes for

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat - no I don't, what a horrible statement. Not everyone wants to be a doctor or teacher. Some people want to tread the boards & society is all the richer for that.

@hilariousnamehere

Every TV programme you watch, every book you read, every film or documentary you stream, every music track you listen to, every video you or your child watches on YouTube, every piece or print of art which hangs on your walls so they're not bare white walls... all of those are created by people working in the arts. Not hobbies, no. And without them life would be a lot shitter for everyone.

But which TV companies making programmes, documentaries, Netlix streaming services etc have claimed furlough for staff? I think they're paying wages themselves.

I don't think we should be guilt tripped into this for the sake of telly, I think telly is paying its way.

@ChromaBook

What the hell is a "viable" job?

The arts has been thrown to the wolves. It's an utter disgrace. I am shaking with anger.

And charities too have received very little help whilst trying to support people with extra needs during this crisis. If hospices go under then the NHS will be even more overwhelmed.

@Florencex - so what do we do? Cancel people's livelihoods & pay more in benefits?

It seems to indicate that if an employee works 1/3rd of their normal hours, the employer will be obliged to pay the employee for those hors and for another 1/3rd of their normal hours on top. So effectively paying them at a rate of pay which is twice what they normally earn.

The government then step in and pay another 3rd of the usual wages level on top.

How do employers with reduced turnover/income find the money to pay employees twice the normal hourly rate of pay ?

Not sure I've understood this correctly....

double the amount of hours they actually work

@ChromaBook
Nowhere in your pp did you mention interview you just said untrained for anything else. So not clear to understand.

We are entertainer and musician, the arts have been forgotten.
I've had £250 pm furlough, better than nothing.
I think we'll just have to go bankrupt as would get more unemployed.
Yes, our business would bounce back, we've lost millions, (not our money) and at least a full year of a filled diary.

We can't get work, because contrary to the news report we saw of the west end stars working in Tesco it was a publicity stunt, most of us in the industry were turned down for work delivering or supermarket.

Oops ! Don't know where that last extra line came from.

I think whatever he did, the OP would say it was woeful.

Unfortunately with Covid a lot of these jobs were never realistically going to go back.

Firms were just doing their employees a favour by furloughing... until they had to start to pay themselves.

Too many ppl think anything outside their field is beneath them, now is the time to look at other ways of earning.

Oh don't start. DH has been scraping Artex off ceilings for minimum wage with inadequate PPE - never mind covid lungs, hello asbestos lungs. Doesn't mean he's not desperate to see the industry he has devoted decades to survive so that he can resume his business and career at some point. That's what we were desperately hoping for today - it's not just about us, as hard as we're personally finding it. Its about keeping a normally highly profitable industry from vanishing entirely.

Every TV programme you watch, every book you read, every film or documentary you stream, every music track you listen to, every video you or your child watches on YouTube, every piece or print of art which hangs on your walls so they're not bare white walls... all of those are created by people working in the arts.

Exactly! It employs hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and contribute Billions of pounds in taxes etc. We work in this area and are very lucky that we had a great year last year. We are now able to use that money to hopefully hang on, until live performances and Film get back to normal.

It angers me, the govt seem to totally ignoring this area.

It doesn't take long for the "let the old and disabled die" undercurrent to come to the surface, does it?

I'm a higher-rate tax payer. I've always been happy to pay more for a good welfare system that protects people, and voted accordingly. But now I see how much of society would happily let me die rather than go on benefits, I think I'd rather keep my money.

That is always a known risk working in the arts though isn't it ?

It's classed as a luxury so one of the things to be cut back on when times are hard.

It doesn't take long for the "let the old and disabled die" undercurrent to come to the surface, does it?

Oh, you mean like the "let people lose their jobs for the greater good" undercurrent? People will lose their lives as a direct result of job losses. What about them?

It's not about a highly profitable industry vanishing its about it pausing until the industry is needed again, surely?

@ZoeTurtle

It doesn't take long for the "let the old and disabled die" undercurrent to come to the surface, does it?

I'm a higher-rate tax payer. I've always been happy to pay more for a good welfare system that protects people, and voted accordingly. But now I see how much of society would happily let me die rather than go on benefits, I think I'd rather keep my money.

Not everyone don’t worry. But also we would all suffer if there wasn’t enough healthcare to go around so what we’re doing is for all of us.

It's classed as a luxury so one of the things to be cut back on when times are hard.

So no new books, films, TV programmes, music etc etc?

I feel sorry for the people who have already lost their jobs, I don't know benefit rates but they will be getting alot less won't they? Some people seemed to do OK with furlough and others got nothing/very little. It doesn't seem very fair.