Govt furlough extended til October

[Joan0fSarc]

Thank goodness.

I understand why people get upset or annoyed. If they are working flat out and get a wage equivalent or smaller than someone who is sat at home for months on end getting similar money and spending the Spring/Summer walking/cycling/golfing etc then yes some resentment is going to happen..... Surely you get that - or are you sitting around getting paid?

No I don't get that people still working are resentful of the furloughed. It is not the furloughed's fault we are in this mess. It's because of something that is beyond anyone's control. For the record, I am self employed part time (currently earning £0) and a carer. So no furlough here. I am a benefit scrounger though (£67.25 carer's allowance a week).

@Weallhavevalidopinions so what do you want us to do? Should I quit my job and go on benefits just so you don't have to be bitter about it. Some people are so self centred.

You are sure and lo, it became true.

No, no, you've misunderstood me.
I meant by the government. Give it time.

For the companies that are furlonging some and keeping others working doing several people's jobs, surely they should switch things around so people now working can be furloughed and the others can go back to work?

Because currently the minimum furlough length is 3 weeks it’s really difficult to do that without a crystal ball.

We know that for the last 6 weeks work in prisons has been continuous with the odd hospital job. But we don’t know if plumbers or electricians or gas fitters will be needed in the next few weeks and how many.

So if we swop over now and after 2 weeks all our other construction sites open that’s 2 weeks furlough we won’t be able to claim.

And I can't believe that people are seriously saying the scheme should be removed. You do know how that will affect the economy? More mortgages/rents not being paid, bills not being paid, not being able to afford food etc... Even if we move everyone to UC that will still be a cost to the taxpayer. I for one am happy that many will still have an income (furlough)

And everyone would be claiming UC long past October.

Without furlough the company I worked for would have lasted three weeks.

The Chancellor also said employers will have to “share the cost” from August. I presume there will be a sliding scale of some sort: August 20 employer/60 government. September 40/40 and October 60/20. You’ll also be able to bring back people part-time. I presume an employee will pay the part-time hours and government will top up to 80 per cent the rest.

I’m very pleased for people especially those in the hospitality business, they are already on low wages to cut to 60 % would have been terrible, but I think the top £2500 upper limit wage should have been dropped to £2000.

Companies are basically been given time to adapt or go under.

Lets face it none of the complainers on this thread would have an issue with this scheme being extended if it was them facing redundancy and having to be furloughed. You'd all be grateful then, so on that note you can all fuck off!

Not one person i know who is furloughed is miserable. All of them are no worse off financially because they're not paying for travel. They're all enjoying the time off and glad of the extension. I don't buy the argument that furloughed workers are sat at home worrying and miserable. The vast majority of them are elated right now and relieved.

They've got the better end of the deal here. At my firm those not furloughed are covering all the work and have had to take a pay cut so we are now earning almost the same as furloughed workers. There have been quite a few requests to be furloughed this afternoon. It's back breaking work alongside home schooling.

How is all this to be paid for?

@cuddlecouch if you do similar jobs, ask your company if some workers can be swapped out, but don't blame people for being furloughed, there's fuck all we can do about it!

It is not as straightforward as people on one side working like crazy and others lying around sunbathing.

Being swapped out may not work - for example in my team they’ve got new processes that will take time to learn so it doesn’t make sense to keep switching people round.

@NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite

The two things are not mutually exclusive. Why would you think one would preclude the other?

I don't. But they are sending two very different messages at a very basic level.

@PicsInRed sorry for the misunderstanding. And yes, I agree with you. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

It's the older workers who are being worked to death. Where i work those furloughed were the less productive and that happened to be those under 35. They're busy loving life. Sunbathing, long walks, cooking, Insta lives, zoom quizzes. Meanwhile the rest of us do the hard work. They're all buzzing following the announcement. Sadly I think they'll be the first to be made redundant when things start to reopen to normal. That generation seem to live in the present so not many of them care.

And the people I know who are furloughed are not enjoying it, are worried about their job, struggling with being at home, and keen to get back again. The universal reaction I've seen on my Facebook and in my chat groups to the news is despair that this could rumble on so long, and obviously some gratefulness that at least they are assured a few more months of income. No one is delighted and rubbing their hands together. So I guess we just know very different types of people 🤷‍♀️

But I'm not going to use my limited social circle to make judgements about what furloughed people in general feel.

esjee the scheme was far too generous, it should have been roof and food.

Mortgage holiday or a rent allowance, then a basic income for families, couple or single people similar to UC rates.

It's costing far far too much at its current levels!

It's not that there was a scheme it's that it's 80% of a wage, when you now have no travel costs, possibly no childcare costs and no leisure costs. They are being paid 80% of a wage to sit and do nothing whatsoever.

And then have the audacity to say "yeah but it's not easy" 🤦🏻‍♀️

Babbas

With costs of redundancy increasing with length of service ... I think you might be right.

The level of financial fuckage to our economy (and the economies of the entire world) really can't be overstated here. It's absolutely horrifying.

I don't buy the argument that furloughed workers are sat at home worrying and miserable
I suppose we should all sit in a room looking at the walls crying .
Believe me there have been days like that . You like to believe everyone you know is having a great time and yes I know a couple like that too but most of us no .

Did anyone see the intensive care programme last night? It was on BBC Wales at 9pm so if you aren't in Wales try and get it on iplayer. They said that there will likely be a spike in July and then in October.

@Babbas I don’t think they will be buzzing when the employer contribution comes in from August. As you say this is when employers will when companies will start letting people go.

@separatedswans the upper limit is perhaps too generous but I think you'll find 80% of minimum wage IS just mortgage/rent food and bills.