Furlough extended to end June

[bathsh3ba]

This is depressing. I guess that means they don't intend to relax lockdown in any way before then - but won't we then just get a second wave in time for flu season?

@ListeningQuietly that is just for March though.

These are the current up to date statistics

www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/

1023 40-59 year olds
100 20-39 year olds
8 0-19 year olds

so the workforce makes up around 8.5%

The really good figure though is in 0-19 year olds

Personally I think its a move to allow things to start opening over the course of June

Two major things need to be done

1. welfare is not enough to live on. The crisis has been a disaster for around 10 years now. 5 week waiting period, Bedroom taxes, sanctions etc...

2. I hear people say "people paid to have holiday" for furloughed staff. Well what do you expect? Most are tax payers and they are furloughed through no fault of their own. If they went on UC instead everyone would still say "my taxes pay for their bills" also to add UC won't pay their bills if they say were on £32,000 a year

I think the government pretty much have to confirm with the scheme and I am always rather surprised so many mumsnetters think they will just end it!

It was introduced originally to avoid the social scarring of mass unemployment if abandoned now the government would have both the astronomical costs of running it for two months and the scare of mass unemployment so it would pay a huge amount to achieve nothing in essence it has to continue in some form to make the huge investment even partly worthwhile.

I am also very confused that it is those who are working now who will pay? I worked for 20 years before furloughed and given my age will need to work another twenty odd years until retirement (wether for my current employer or finding a new job)...I think quite a bit of that tax will have to go to pay for this when all this is over ...it will not be fully paid for out of the tax of those who continue working!!!

@SaltySeaBird I'll happily report them to HMRC if you PM me the name of the company.

@Keepdistance I don't think you're right. The official stats are here for NYC

AGE_GROUP Cases Hospitalizations Deaths
0-17 years 138.69 12.1 0
18-44 years 1354.67 143.72 10.48
45-64 years 2162.4 573.67 86.96
65-74 years 2215.65 1063.34 280.64
75 and older years 2539.79 1564.97 691.62
Citywide total 1454.36 391.05 93.94

It's not formatted correctly - but they obviously include people who have underlying health conditions, but they're exactly inline with the very low death rates for children and young people.

I missed this was it at the briefing?

So expensive, amazed they can do it

@underneaththeash do you have the link?

I havent had anything yet...my employer says the portal doesnt open until the end of this month!

I'm not staying in lockdown til the end of June.

@Bollards21 - the HMRC portal opens on Monday. I'm working on the basis that it'll be a bonus when/if it comes through. The 2 juniors I've furloughed are being paid by me normally at 100%. Although they can't work just now, I need to know they'll come back when we restart, so am paying them although if clients don't pay outstanding invoices, I may not have cash to pay myself

Some of us on furlough don't want to be! 80% of pay is not good for paying the bills. That said, I am lucky as UC would definitely not cover the bills!

Add into the mix SEN children and this isn't a holiday when school usually provides respite!

Someone mentioned accountants being furloughed. I am a bookkeeper on furlough. I was supposed to work today, dressed up as training - it was normal work for year-end, plus preparing for the portal on Monday. We have many, many companies who aren't paying for services right now as they can't. And won't be able to for some time. So looks like I am out for a while. Accountants and bookkeepers aren't cheap for small companies who are also furloughing their staff. I mentioned to a colleague today that I was concerned re redundancy and she said it would pick back up, but I can't see that happening if it goes on much longer. plus she thinks my employer won't want to make me redundant only to have to rehire in six months' time. It is all very uncertain. I am looking for another job in the meantime.

I think it is a hard time for many. And I hope everyone can get through it as best they can. I certainly realise how lucky I am and that others definitely have it worse than me. Including those who are having to pick up work from colleagues on furlough, and key workers putting themselves at risk for the sake of others. (of which my DH is one)

Yes it's here
www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page

our stats which were also posted for March are here

[https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsinvolvingcovid19englandandwales/deathsoccurringinmarch2020]]
We don't have any further stats for April - but if you actually scroll down for each category you can download a spreadsheet for each age and if they have any underlying health conditions.

I will be on 80% but not paying for school dinners, kids activities, before and after school club and commuting costs mean I could be marginally better off than a standard month. However DH is self employed and not earning at the moment so household income is lower than normal. We will be ok prob for 2 months before feeling the pinch.

In reality, a lot of companies who were not far from the wall have taken the furlough option to try and hang in. That isn’t what it was meant for, it was meant to protect workers in travel, hospitality, non essential retail who had to shut. I know solicitors, recruitment agents, accountants who have all been furloughed.

Is this written down anywhere or was it stated that it was meant for the workers you list? I never saw that. I was under the impression the whole point was to try and allow any businesses that are in temporary downturns to essentially mothball staff instead of having to make them redundant, so they can restart from the same place as far as possible later on.

Not sure why it would be a bad thing that solicitors, recruiters and accountants are furloughed too, as long as they meet the criteria of course. There are at least some people in these sectors where the work has dried up purely because of lockdown but will restart once semi-normal activity resumes. My friend is a legal exec in an immigration firm and he is furloughed because the visa system is essentially non-operational at the moment, but once it's up and running again there's likely to be demand for their circumstances.

I agree with Pubs on that. It’s to keep staff tied to the business when demand drops, rather than made redundant which they usually would be. This can be any sector.

But the furlough scheme allows workers to work elsewhere - eg flight crew in hospitals
they will be taxed
but they can

Yes you can take other temporary work but you are still legally tied to your company rather than made redundant which is Sunak’s point.

Oh I can’t take this any more. So some of my neighbours will be sat around in their gardens enjoying BBQs and games for almost four months while others will be slogging away working at the supermarkets and collecting the bins for basically the same money. Disgustingly unfair. The sort of thing that will push decent people to fiddle their taxes.

How can it be fair some people get four months off and others don’t

I assume the reason the govt didn't ban furloughed workers from taking other jobs is because some sectors are crying out for workers, even in a climate where so many are out of work and unable to access financial support. Obviously a lot of people's contracts forbid it anyway, but if a temporarily furloughed accountant or waitress would be willing to do care work, for example, of course we don't want to do anything to prevent that.

@Bubbly it is true those people you mentioned need pay rises and they are underpaid. But most furloughed workers aren't furloughed because they want to have a BBQ in the garden. Their company has made them because they can't afford their salaries. You are acting as if furloughed workers choose to leave their work and claim 80 percent. Plus if you are on a low income and struggling with bills 80 percent makes things worse..

It is difficult that the distribution of work is so uneven at the moment. Barely anyone seems to be chugging along like they were before, everyone's either over or under employed. I don't have a better solution, mind.

It’s a good idea people can take other work during it. It’s going to be a slog to get demand back up even when furlough period is over.

But most furloughed workers aren't furloughed because they want to have a BBQ in the garden. Their company has made them because they can't afford their salaries

I appreciate that, but the actual outcome is unfair. If the shopworkers and so on who are working now got a few more weeks added to their usual holiday allowance as compensation for missing out now I’d be a lot happier. Instead they’ll have to work through while millions took a break. And no, lockdown is not like a beach holiday but it’s still a break from work.

I am furloughed but don’t want to be. Five people in my team were furloughed. Three do the same job as me. What so we three have in common? Well, we weren’t the least busiest in the team that’s for sure. We are the ones with children at home! Oh, and my team was meeting it’s financial targets when we were furloughed. It’s bullshit.

I think it’s needed for the country to survive this. I’m still working full time and I know the couple behind us have both been either furloughed or made redundant. They sat in their conservatory all day when they never did. My desk is next to the window overlooking their conservatory. However I’m happy to be still working. I enjoy it and I would rather be kept busy.

MarshaBradyo- if by “They” you mean the government, they can’t in totality, it will be borrowed money, which taxes will have to pay back. And No, Labour would not be able to to any better either