Govt furlough extended til October

[Joan0fSarc]

Thank goodness.

@LilacTree1
I believe the govt backs this in the same way they cover a certain amount of your pension.

its statutory redundancy only.... hopefully i wont find out how but it does clearly state they will pay on the gov.uk site.

I am really relieved to hear this.
I work in a hotel and hours are usually steady but are based on guest numbers.
Just before lockdown it was dead at work and hours were ridiculous, I was worried that we would have to go back to a dead hotel and no hours = no/shit pay. This is really reassuring to me and my colleagues.

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

Not really. I can’t be furloughed as a care worker, still paying my tax.

You pay the extra bit and don’t put any more load on us

Well said. This needs saying a lot more. Society is polarised between those who are working harder than ever (and not just NHS and other so-called key workers either) and those who are treating it like an extended holiday.

Your anger here is misplaced though. If you were one of the furloughed, would you sit indoors, in silence as an act of solidarity with your working peers?

It's not so long ago that people on benefits were demonised. Now it's those on furlough.

Nobody I know who's currently furloughed is blithely making rainbows and topping up their tan. They're shit scared for their finances, careers, health of loved ones and their own health in many cases. None of them want to be off work, especially in such uncertain circumstances.

Don't be envious of people who through no fault of their own have to rely on a government scheme to feed their families. It's a really, really shit look.

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

Yep - newly self-employed here too. Luckily DH's wage supports both of us but it sucks. My business is open (I'm a dog walker & pet sitter) but nobody is interested because they're all at home for the foreseeable future and all their holidays are cancelled too!

I've had no income since March.

We should help people, I truly believe that, but I think it’s not needed by all who are using it and they are prime not receiving any support who desperately need it.

It's not so long ago that people on benefits were demonised. Now it's those on furlough.

I was just about to say that. The level of scathing and us VS them is scary to see.

I'm self employed and seeing on here the contempt many have for us was quite something. None of us pay tax apparently

There really need to be some new rules about this. It is ridiculous that huge companies, who can easily afford to take the hit, and sitting pretty using government handouts that the taxpayer will be paying back for decades.
Some companies are even profiting from it. A friend of mine’s kids go to private school and his wife is a teaching assistant there. The majority of staff have been furloughed, yet the school is still charging all parents full fees! The school is saving a fortune in salaries, and still getting the same income in fees! It’s outrageous.
The furlough scheme should only have been for smaller companies that wouldn’t survive without it. Not bloody KFC, McDonald’s etc.

I would be worried if I was furloughed as I think you are higher risk of losing your job & have more to worry about that your tan.

Please remember it is not just businesses that are using furlough - this is good news for the charitable sector where the vast majority of staff are on furlough.

My charities income dropped by 55% instantly on the day lockdown was announced and some have dropped by 100%.

No entrance fees, no fundraising events, most voluntary donations going to NHS or Covid-19 charities, no house sales (for legacies) and with many people's incomes dropping direct debits are being cancelled.

Without my health charity in place the NHS will have a timebomb of people who lack information on their condition - including most GP's and nurses who turn to us first. There will be NO training on our condition for consultants/nurses etc provided in the UK if we fold.

Without this extension many - if not most charities would be closing their doors for good - including many major ones that are household names.

The few staff that have been kept on at our place have all taken a 25% drop in salary .

@SeperatedSwans There are actually very few charities taking on new volunteers at the moment - all of our volunteer managers are on furlough! No-one can man a helpline without substantial training and there is no-one to do that. Most of your suggestions require full DBS checks and interview and references - how are these happening????The idea that anyone can just rock up at a charity and start volunteering is rubbish. Most charities have simply shut up shop for the duration.

man call center phones for mental health and abuse charities

Because that isn’t a specialist role that requires training?!

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.

I agree too. Another four months. We will see shifts in sectors and movement, or at least we should but I feel we are stuck on pause in the meantime. This won’t be over in October. At least start to encourage shift and adaptation.

@vanillandhoney I'm in your situation and found this...

www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Scroll down to 'Employees with Caring Responsibilities' ...

''Employees who are unable to work because they have caring responsibilities resulting from coronavirus (COVID-19) can be furloughed. For example, employees that need to look after children can be furloughed''.

The furlough scheme should only have been for smaller companies that wouldn’t survive without it. Not bloody KFC, McDonald’s etc.

So how long do you think KFC and McDonalds would survive if they still had to pay wages on top of all the other premises costs and overheads, with no income?? Considering most are actually privately owned franchises???

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

Great, let’s make like America where even more people have died?

If you don’t like being locked down you are free to get a job as an essential worker - supermarkets need people for example.

On the note of looking for jobs.

• we’d then be getting two incomes (would be taxed as a second job) surely that would piss you off more
• it has to be out with your current contracted hours (try when you work in hospitality so work all the hours)
• you have to be available to return to work as soon as requested (pretty awful for your new employer/charity you’re working for)

However I do know a lot of people in my company are volunteering with the NHS and taken up second jobs as delivery drivers etc because 80% of their earnings isn’t covering the basics. So it is happening.

Not everyone is getting £2500 a month! (Certainly nobody I know)

Nobody I know who's currently furloughed is blithely making rainbows and topping up their tan. They're shit scared for their finances, careers, health of loved ones and their own health in many cases. None of them want to be off work, especially in such uncertain circumstances.

This is me 100%.

DP and I have been furloughed and we're both so worried we're going to lose our jobs. We have a child to support and rent and bills to pay.i am so grateful for the government's support.

I work in fundraising, DP does IT for a travel insurance company. So there's a real with that at least one of us is going to lose our jobs. We are both bored as fuck at home and can't wait to get back to work.

I have never been unemployed in my life and I've never claimed benefits. But I would never judge anyone who has, in the same way I ask for people not to judge me or the contribution I am still making to society and the economy.

I'm still paying taxes on my furloughed pay. And while my non essential spending is down, I can still afford to shop at my usual places, which is a small contribution to the local economy and independent shops in our area.

If I had to go on UC, it would be a completely different situation for me and millions of furloughed workers.

None of us pay tax apparently

I don't think anyone who's now been furloughed pays tax (or ever did) if you look at the ranting on here. Perhaps I should have a back-dated rant about how much DH and I have paid in tax over the years, to educate other people's children, or pay for other people's healthcare. I've never given a fuck because I'm an adult who understands that is how a society works but maybe it's time to change my attitude and join the children in throwing all the toys out of the pram.

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

How much more?? Double? Another 10%? What?

One thing that is for certain - the extra tax to pay for this isn't going to be 1 or 2 percent, nor is it only going to be on "the rich" - it's going to hit EVERYONE hard, and those who have continued to work and havn't seen the benefit of the govt schemes will be VERY unhappy when they start having to pay more.

@Joan0fSarc just print more money.. oh it's all fine then 😆 15 years in the financial markets industry tells me all I need to know and if you believe that then I'm genuinely worried for you.

@vanillandhoney
Okay, and where are the parents going to get childcare from? Or do we just leave small children home alone for hours so other people don't get resentful of those who are furloughed?
many workers are not parents in need of childcare or have a partner who can WFH or is not employed. - it cannot be all about families all the time. There are many who are currently furloughed who do not need the schools to re-open or for there to be childcare. There is plenty they could be doing in return for their free money. Meanwhile there are many other unemployed who are subsisting on benefits.

I am very surprised by this.
I thought he was going to cut it to 60%, soon.

Yes, apparently a few months negates all the tax furloughed people have been paying their entire lives and suddenly 'we', whoever 'we' are, are currently subsiding their lavish lifestyles by, you know, paying the same tax we were before anyway.