Give people 100% of their wages if they're forced to close

[Marg33t]

How are people on nmw supposed to live on 66% of wages. All the council leaders in the north are rightly outraged at how unfair this is!

Who is going to pay for it though?

The government thinks I can live on 20% of my profits (self employed) when I haven't worked since March and don't expect to work while April.

There was plenty of money when it came to bailing out the banks. They printed more as needed.

I think it's time they recognised that the people of this country cannot live on thin air, and that this is a major challenge to the country as a whole akin to war. Either the government need to provide money as a means of exchange, either as replacement for wages or a citizen's Basic Income or they need to provide another means of living. Consider bringing in rationing of food, and some sort of solution for housing, for instance temporary suspension of rents or again direct distribution. Our normal way of living is currently not possible: and given the way it has been weakened for the last 40 years anyway, expecting people to have their own resources to fall back on is unacceptable.

I think it's time they recognised that the people of this country cannot live on thin air

Isn’t that what the benefits system already does?

Yes I know there are backlogs and problems with UC and it’s far from perfect. But we are far better off as a nation than most of the rest of the World are in terms of safety nets.

It’s a shit time for many but for every person genuinely struggling there seem to be ten more pointlessly moaning about how they’re not getting enough for free.

And in direct response to the op - How are people on nmw supposed to live on 66% of wages. Apply for UC, like anyone who falls on hard times has to.

It is rubbish for lots of people, but I think that giving 100% seems very unfair on people who have been made redundant as a result of covid, or like the poster above are self employed.

If anyone knows better than me please do correct me but I would think that a fair few of those on low wages would already be claiming UC and if their income drops then there would automatically be an increase in the amount paid by UC.

I don't know how much of a delay there is still is in applying for UC in the first place though, I know there was a delay in the spring - hopefully they are better prepared this time.

Isn’t that what the benefits system already does?

Er, no. Because people voted for a government that created a system designed to impoverish people.

If we had a functioning safety net none of the various employee schemes would have been necessary.

Who is going to pay for it though?

As opposed to the costs of widespread homelessness, malnourishment, health issues, deaths...?

^ Exactly. The benefits system is not what it was - it used to be an automatic fallback universally available for those who don't have work. Now it is a job in itself replete with sanctions and desperately trying to find excuses to not give support out. It's not sufficient in a time when work does not exist.

Many people seem to be totally unaware, even as they rent their 3rd or 4th homes out to people who own nothing, of the huge growth in inequality and that some people - well, own nothing, no matter how much they work. So as soon as the work goes, they have no food or home.

I'd be very surprised if anyone is going to get much in the way of Universal Credit if they're getting 67% of furlough

It's utterly shit - people are going to STARVE/Freeze!

Sure the government can russel something up... @Reedwarbler

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/nypost.com/2020/07/29/uk-government-invests-in-sex-party-startup-killing-kittens/amp/

@purplepingu that’s terrible - why do you think you won’t be back until April

So the areas where many people have been sloppy with SD, being careful, not mixing and so the virus has run rampant (not necessarily the ones who will be unable to work though) should be given full pay to sit at home ..... NO way!

Where's the incentive to actually bother to follow any guidelines? So let's all party, party and not social distance and then get the benefits of doing bugger all to contribute whilst on full pay. Meanwhile many jobs will have to work anyway - very divisive

Absolutely agree op. It's outrageous people are being denied full pay when they are being denied working. As for the poster who said who is going to pay, we must all pay but these workers need the money.

@purplepingu

The government thinks I can live on 20% of my profits (self employed) when I haven't worked since March and don't expect to work while April.

Yes, and to not recieve any furlough at all for June, September and October.

I hear no one kicking off about that at all.

I am thinking more of recreating a safety net for everyone, not just individual wage schemes which will leave people out.

Work is not possible, by law. What do you expect people to do?

Up to 3 million self employed received no furlough, SEISS grants nor business rates grants - in fact they received nothing. Simply because they fell between the cracks in Rishi's crazy/unfair support schemes. The same people won't be eligible for the new support schemes either because Rishi is using the same criteria. It's madness.

Who is paying for the 12bn we've spent on Track & Trace which doesn't work or the millions spent on PPE contracts which didn't deliver? Or the salary for the PM's new aide, to do his job? Or the Brexit costs, which are more than was ever paid in? But, you know, let people starve.

Agree OP.

At the end of the day these people have jobs. If the government shuts their places of work leaving them without an income why should they have to manage on UC?

I bet the people saying "claim UC" aren't worrying about their jobs.

@Kazzyhoward

Up to 3 million self employed received no furlough, SEISS grants nor business rates grants - in fact they received nothing. Simply because they fell between the cracks in Rishi's crazy/unfair support schemes. The same people won't be eligible for the new support schemes either because Rishi is using the same criteria. It's madness.

Yep, but nobody cares about the self-employed.

I've worked full time for ten years as an employee. Set up as self-employed and then COVID hit. I had to close by law. I received nothing. I wasn't self-employed long enough to benefit from Rishi's scheme and couldn't claim anything, despite the fact that I've been in employment all my adult life, paying my NI and my taxes.

Whenever I've voiced this I've been told self-employed people would get help if they didn't fiddle the system

The self employed should also get help.

Threads like this make me realise just how many MNers are both oblivious to and unbothered by the increasing wealth inequality in this country.

Apply for UC? Are you having a fucking laugh? They won't get it if they're getting 67% of their salary, even if that salary simply doesn't cover their basic outgoings - as it wouldn't for a great many families.

Not to mention the fact that if you are in the unhappy position of having to apply for UC, you are likely to be thwarted at every turn by sanctions, and will need to wait months for any money to come through.

Yes this filthy, corrupt government has handed out BILLIONS to their pals to fuck up PPE, track and trace, not to mention Brexit, which has already cost more than our entire contributions since we joined but still we have no fucking idea what's going to happen in just over 2 months' time.

They want to give themselves a £3.3k pay rise, but think it's enough just to give nurses a round of applause.

They make rules for us, the proles, but have no intention of following them themselves.

I'm staggered that so many people still support them. They are beyond contempt.

Yep, I get almost no help as self employed either. I work in the wedding industry, it has virtually shut down. And what's even better is I have to refund deposits where people cancel their weddings. So I not only make no income, I'm dipping in to savings and tax funds to pay people back.

[quote Nishky]@purplepingu that’s terrible - why do you think you won’t be back until April[/quote]
Wedding industry. All my bookings have now postponed until after April next year. As well as another 10 for after April next year. And I've not attended a wedding since March this year. Our industry is allowed to be open for weddings of 15 but in reality no-one wants a 15 person wedding and so bookings are choosing to postpone.

Our industry is absolutely devastated and the support we've been given so far is no-where near adequate for our losses. I could have managed on the percentages already given if they'd continued but the latest 20% is just an insult.