Govt furlough extended til October

[Joan0fSarc]

Thank goodness.

[MarshaBradyo]

Businesses will have to share the cost. What was an easy decision previously may change when it costs (more than 20% if they have been topping up, not all have).

[jasjas1973]

Great so I get to work full time pay taxes all throughout this pandemic at risk in the community so 7.5 million can sit and do nothing till October

I think the idea is that as the economy comes out of lockdown, more people return to work, my company (IT) has already started taking people back of furlough.
Hopefully more will do so.

Without this scheme, companies would have gone bust, ex employees would be making claims against the govt for redundancy, in my case 16k tax free....and then claim UC... instead i get 5k, pay tax on it and keep my tax paying job.
The part time flexibility will be welcomed, e.g. we can get more people back working on a 3 day week but being paid for 4.

[Pomegranatepompom]

It’s probably impossible to be fair. I can see how many people Who are stressed and working in difficult conditions are a bit jealous of colleagues who are furloughed for 6 months.

[vanillandhoney]

We aren't all in this together. A proportion of society are stressed, overworked, underplayed and staring at a never ending abysmal mountain of work. Others are sat making rainbows and sunbathing. Too scared to leave their house because they are 33 and perfectly healthy

A lot of the people "sitting making rainbows" may not have jobs to go back to. We're going to see millions of people become unemployed as a result of this crisis. If you're still working, you will probably keep your job and don't need to worry about how you're going to put food on the table next month.

[rowlett]

kill me now I'm done with this horseshit. I may actually kill myself if this goes on past June.

Been feeling increasingly like this the past few weeks, I really hear you

[Babbas]

Massive stress and unbelievable pressure to continue on non furloughed workers. How long before the full time workers keeping the economy going collapse or get ill? Completely unfair. Maybe tax the furloughed workers more and key workers/non furloughed less to balance it out.

[Pomegranatepompom]

@SeperatedSwans absolutely agree with you

[BentBastard]

"Once again, many people (especially hospitality/retail/leisure) and on or very close to minimum wage. They are receiving 80% of minimum wage and still paying the usual tax/ni/pension contributions."

Well no, if their pay is at 80% their tax and NI contributions will be lower. More than half of a minimum wage employee's pay is tax free anyway.

[LilacTree1]

Jas “ ex employees would be making claims against the govt for redundancy”

Do those claims work? Mostly when firms go bust, employees get nothing?

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

many businesses did not need to close. Some employers are furloughing to save themselves money, the work is there for the staff. It's wrong

Exactly - and that's not even accounting for those who, as Kazzy said, regard thiis as an extended holiday which they're disinclined to end while still getting paid

I'll say yet again that a few will certainly need the scheme, but it's widespread abuse which worries me, especially as it's likely to go under the radar because of the chaos

[foggybits]

Perhaps one aspect of this is confidence? The gov need people to spend money. People who are currently furloughed or even not may have been reigning in their spending (I have). Perhaps feeling more secure they will spend more & more businesses will cling on.

[LilacTree1]

“ A lot of the people "sitting making rainbows" may not have jobs to go back to. We're going to see millions of people become unemployed as a result of this crisis”

They should be campaigning against lockdown, en masse. Otherwise only the voice of the fearful gets heard.

[SodOffCovid]

Why hasn't this come up at pm questions. The complete imbalance between furloughed and full time workers killing themselves to stay afloat

[MarshaBradyo]

Hopefully the cost of sharing it by the company will dampen the over use of the scheme.

Maybe they should rotate who is furloughed so someone else can get the break.

[foggybits]

A I understand furlough can be for 3 wk periods. Why don't more employers rotate staff to ease the burden on those still working?

[FatRascalsAndJam]

I don’t think it does suggest that they know something we don’t, not that it’s out of step with the PM’s announcement. They can only extend it so long based off much lower uptake enabled by some workers going back. Within the roadmap there are a fair few sectors that can’t go back and where workers need supporting.

[justasking111]

If you work in public service you are safe. If you work in the private sector not so much your employer goes into liquidation where does your furlough pay come from then?

[Dragongirl10]

People really can't just sit back and wait for things to return to normal - they may never return to normal. People/businesses need to change and adapt.

This^^ there is no normal any more and if we do not get a vaccine there may be no normal for ever, we have had months to get our heads around this now we need to find ways to be productive, not winge about how unfair everything is. Life is very unfair.

I am shocked those still working are annoyed, they will be the most likely to have a job longer term.....

This is serious look at the future. It is not going away.

Sitting around going I am alright Jack ,with no thought for next month or the month after is epic stupidity...l am tired of hearing about those who seem more interested in their tan than how they will live in 6 months time.

[Joan0fSarc]

It worries me we let people like you vote to be honest. Do you honestly think they just simply print money

I expressed myself poorly there, I realise. Was not meant to be taken quite so literally. There's no need for you to be such an immense arse, however.

The government can shuffle the numbers/put schemes like HS2 on hold indefinitely and so forth to pay for this. And if they didn't extend the scheme they'd have to pay a similarly high benefits bill anyway.

As I said I'm happy to pay more tax if it means fewer people lose their jobs at such a dreadful time. Surely most people would feel the same?

[mummytippy]

Is there anyone with children here (single parents) who will be expected to return to work from tomorrow but is going to have to ask their employer to continue furloughing them based on the fact they have no childcare?

[AhGoGo]

@BentBastard

80% of £8.21 an hour. Even without the NI/Tax deductions put people on £6.56 and people want that to drop lower? Remember that is no help with rent etc that UC would have.

Side note. I’m only posting for a perspective of people who currently have no job to do. Business closed by government. I fully appreciate all frustrations by people who are having to do twice the work due to shitty employers. No support for that at all.

[MarshaBradyo]

It doesn’t take liquidation for employers to make people redundant if they feel the shared cost is too high. There’s a bit if wait and see if there’s much change when the shared part comes into effect.

[justasking111]

Accountants will be working double time to liquidate companies then set up a new one the next day for clients. (head in hands)

[Joan0fSarc]

They should be campaigning against lockdown, en masse. Otherwise only the voice of the fearful gets heard

Surely you're not serious?

[OohThatCat]

Great if you've got an employer. I'm self employed and work in the wedding industry, since I not long ago started my business, the grant doesn't cover nearly enough - God knows when I'm going to be able to work again.