Profiteering from Coronavirus?

[Flowerpower15]

I've saw a couple articles online now about furloughed staff taking on jobs at supermarkets etc. Don't really know why it's a news article in the first place, but are these individuals getting their 80% pay in addition to a 100% pay packet from this additional job??

Yes, it's allowed as long as your employer agrees and I believe if your extra job is outside of your normal hours, but that bit I'm not certain about.

It’s allowed and treated as a second income - and taxed accordingly

It’s not profiteering. Profiteering is the act of taking advantage of a situation in order to make a profit, usually by charging high prices for things people need. If anything, taking on a supermarket job at a time when there’s a labour shortage is helping other people, not exploiting them for financial gain.

I thought the same when I saw the government asking people who had been furloughed to help the farms. So you can’t do the job you’re trained for, because you have to stay home, save the NHS, and save lives, but it’s ok to go and moonlight down a polytunnel with 10 other people? A lot of employers have a clause in the contract about needing their permission before taking a 2nd job. Plus what happens when the original employers open back up? And what are the tax implications?

People are allowed a second job, even if they weren't furloughed and were working in their first job properly they'd be allowed a second job. Not sure why anyone would have a problem with that.

For a lot of people a 20% pay cut will be massive and being realistic a lot of businesses will not survive this so some furloughed employees will find themselves unemployed shortly.

If they are fit and healthy why wouldn’t they take a supermarket job if they could get one?

My employer is ok about me working elsewhere as long as its not for a rival/similar company

It’s not profiteering.
So long as your first employer agrees you’re allowed to take a second job, furloughed or not. It would be taxed accordingly and if furloughed you have to be able to return if recalled.
Also, much more preferable than food being left to rot in fields due to lack of staff.