Furlough until september

[Seesaw121]

Apparently the chansellor is being pushed to furlough until september.
Thoughts?

[AhGoGo]

The longer they furlough the less likely it is hospitality is going to open any time soon and the more I despair.

I understand why we were closed but I miss my job dearly. Also furlough is a massive reduction in my wage (Around a third of my wage was service charge) so we’ve already to had to cut every cost we can. I’d very much prefer to be back working than sitting around my house with no end in sight.

On a selfish note, I also really miss being social and going out for dinner.

However, on the other side of this, if they extend furlough is gives us the opportunity to bring people back slowly as and when business picks up rather than the mass redundancies which will happen if all support stops. It’s going to be a long time before restaurants will break even let alone make a profit.

[BroomstickOfLove]

I think it makes sense to end furlough gradually in stages. I'm fairly sure that it's cheaper to pay furlough, possibly with a reduced upper level, than it is to have to rebuild the tourism, heritage, entertainment, sports, fitness etc from scratch after they've made all their employees redundant and gone bust.

[MintyMabel]

Furlough will be required for some businesses beyond the end of a full opening up. It won’t be required by many but will by some.

Those pushing for a further furlough seem to forget that this all has to be paid for somehow.

Those against it will have to explain how people are supposed to pay their bills if their company can’t operate fully. Or is there a point where we just decide people don’t need the money and they can just starve?

[MintyMabel]

The longer they furlough the less likely it is hospitality is going to open any time soon and the more I despair.

Regardless of what they do with furlough, hospitality will be the last to come back fully. It’s because of distancing, nothing to do with how long people are off.

[maddiemookins16mum]

No way. The money tree has been shook bare as it is.

[Peggysgettingcrazy]

The only way furlough could continue, is for busoness to prove they need to furlough workers. Like my employer furloughed my whole team. There was work and it nearly broke me, trying to do it all. I have one coming back from next week. They could have furloughed half. But it was a chance to cut down on wages, whilst telling those of us they left, working about how we need to support them or the company would go under. The totally took advantage of the situation.

I suspect far less will actually, use that facility.

[YappityYapYap]

Thankfully the government don't see people on furlough as 'sitting around doing nothing, work shy and the kind of people that are scared to go out and will moan about going back to work but probably queue at B&Q'. What an absolutely narrow minded and ridiculous thing to say.




There's people on furlough ranging from bin men to solicitors! It's not a scum thing for the lazy but some on here seem to think it is. Also, it's an employers choice to furlough their staff, nothing to do with the employee's. They've just to sit and wonder when they will get a normal wage again and if they'll have a job to go back to but yeah, they're just sitting at home and queuing at B&Q and living the life of riley really aren't they? 🙄

[AhGoGo]

Regardless of what they do with furlough, hospitality will be the last to come back fully. It’s because of distancing, nothing to do with how long people are off.

Full yes, but nobody is expecting full. My restaurant can open with reasonable distancing between tables and a skeleton staff supported with take away. It’s not gonna be what it was, but it’s going to be something (and kinda all I have to hope for at the moment).

[Peggysgettingcrazy]

Some people on furlough are having a great time. They love it.

Of course lots dont. But why insist, that all people on furlough are desperate to get back.

After returning 300 staff in the last few weeks. A decent amount clearly don't want to come back

[BlossomCat]

work in a theatre. My goodness, I'd love to be at work as soon as possible, but who wants to sit in a huge room with hundreds of other people at the moment?
It's not my fault that I was suddenly unable to go to a job that I love and am very good at.
Not all people who are furloughed are enjoying ourselves being unemployed, a lot of us are extremely anxious about the future of our jobs, and if the the furloughing scheme is extended so that people who can do the job can return at the right time, I'd be ok with that.

[excitedmumtobe87]

Thus far furloughing has cost less than a tenth of the amount paid to bail out banks after the 2008 crash.

[Nousernameforme]

Well I've heard that they are being pushed to get everyone back by June 1st. I heard it, as I said it to DP, that still counts as a totally reliable source and not just hearsay right?

Until it has been said from an official source it doesn't matter what we think. It certainly doesn't matter what you or I want. We will all go back when they tell us we have to.

[Moondust001]

It can't happen. The country can't afford the furlough scheme it has now. Where do you think the money came from? We were broke in February as a country, and we are now even more broke! The national debt is real.

Unfortunately, and I wish it weren't true, many of those businesses that can't open are finished. A lot were teetering on the edges anyway, without all this. I'm old enough the recall the last mass unemployment. That was a picnic compared to what I suspect is coming.

The better question is not whether the furlough will be extended until September - because even if it is it is probably only holding off the mass redundancies and business failures a bit longer - it's who is going to pay for all of this?

[BroomstickOfLove]

I'm quite enjoying my furlough, to be honest, as my work is pretty physically demanding, and it's been nice spending time with my children, because I am often at work on weekends. And I prefer to make the best of things - I'd be a fool to spend this time being miserable because I can't work when I can spend it doing useful and enjoyable things that I don't often get to do, especially as there's a reasonable chance that I'll lose my job, in a city where tourism and heritage is of huge importance. When I work, I'm useful - my work raises the money that keeps a heritage site of international significance from falling to pieces, and is useful to the local community. But until that site is safe to keep open, I'm useless.

[YappityYapYap]

No one is insisting that all furloughed workers are eager to go back but saying they are sitting at home doing nothing and queuing at B&Q is harsh and shitty. Most will be dealing with a 20% drop in their pay and worried somewhat about their employment future

[Servers]

I doubt it, it's just delaying the inevitable anyway, if we knew for sure when things would be able to safely reopen etc then perhaps, but to keep throwing money at it instead of coming up with a more sustainable plan to try and support those who are out of work, and those whose businesses are likely to crumble then no.

[Alsohuman]

Not happening. We can’t afford it.

[DianaT1969]

Unfortunately people who work in hospitality may need to go on UC like the many freelancers and self employed had to.
It's terrible for those workers, but I doubt they'll continue furlough past June. We should know by mid-May though, as many companies unable to continue will have to start the redundancy process at that point.

[Moondust001]

Those against it will have to explain how people are supposed to pay their bills if their company can’t operate fully. Or is there a point where we just decide people don’t need the money and they can just starve?

It's not a question of being against it, or for it even. The answer, if you want bluntness, is how did you ever expect people out of work to pay their bills? Who decided that people out of work / disabled / or whatever before this crisis didn't need money to pay their bills? The debate about whether the "safety net" is actually that at all, and whether it is enough to live on, has been going on for a long time. The answer shouldn't change just because it might be you, or your family, or someone you know, who now has to claim unemployment benefits. Most people in this country deemed it good enough, or maybe ok with a few amendments before it might be them claiming. They kept on voting for the governments that made it so. They kept on talking about scroungers and cheats. Tough, isn't it, when the boot is on the other foot? Hopefully, people might remember how close they came to it, or, regrettably, that they did come to it, and think about how we can create a better society so that everyone can afford their bills and food on the table. That doesn't mean that people shouldn't work - but it has always been an absolute minority of them who won't work, and what you do about that is a different question.

[UniversalAunt]

It seems unfair for the state to quickly & efficiently pay people are able to work but cannot due to COVID-19 at a generous rate, to then grudgingly pay people who cannot work, due to chronic illness &/or disability or caring responsibilities, a pinch above an amount to keep body & soul together.

I anticipate that in some instances, that as businesses may not open again or wobble along for a while, that redundancies will fall & those affected could go from furlough rates down to Universal Credit payment. There will come a point when the lockdown lifts & ‘furlough’ subsidies end.

[tmh88]

I can’t see it happening but I wish it would, I’m getting made permanently redundant as soon as furlough scheme stops (restaurant work)

[userxx]

No chance. We can't afford to pay people to sit at home for 6 months.

This

[UniversalAunt]

Ah yes @Moondust001the good old days...😉.

The daily debate of just how many more unemployed there were than the official 3 Million on the dole.

[WanderingMilly]

I wish.....! But sadly, it won't happen....

[Alsohuman]

Spot on @Moondust001.