Working hours back

[Paperyfish]

Hello,
I work part time in a college as an art technician. obviously college closed and if there aren’t any students creating art work or having classes I have no work anyway. I can not do the work from home either. I have a contract. He say I will continue to be paid. However, they seem to expect me to work the missed hours back at some point. I do not think this is practical or fair. Are they allowed to do this? Shouldn’t they just furlough me?

If your salary is paid via public funding (which seems possible if you're in education but I don't really know how college funding works!) then they can't furlough you. Or at least the guidance says they're 'not expected to' and should 'continue to pay staff in the normal fashion.'

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

Organisations who are receiving public funding specifically to provide services necessary to respond to COVID-19 are not expected to furlough staff.

However, my college has not received funding to provide services necessary to respond to covid 19 as it has shut up completely. As there are no children at my college we haven’t remained open for children of keys workers or anything like that.

You missed the paragraph above the one you quoted:

"Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding is continuing, we expect employers to use that money to continue to pay staff in the usual fashion – and correspondingly not furlough them. This also applies to non-public sector employers who receive public funding for staff costs."

It's any organisations whose wages are paid via public funding, not just where the services are related to COVID 19.

To be fair, that still doesn't answer your question about having to work the time back. I'm inclined to think they can't make you if the reason for non-furlough is the public funds thing (they're not losing out in any financial way if the funds which pay your wages are still coming in, so they're not 'owed' your hours). If it's not a public funds issue and it's basically a choice between take unpaid leave or get paid but owe the hours back at a later stage, then that's different, but I would question why they wouldn't just furlough you in that situation.

Just my opinion and to be honest my area is reward, so there are others on the boards who can give a much more qualified opinion than me!

www.google.com/amp/s/feweek.co.uk/2020/04/02/treasury-confirms-colleges-can-furlough-staff/amp/

Saw this and wondered if it helps.

@nerdsville that’s super helpful, thank you so much!

My college is paying all staff as normal. Are you in a union? They should be working on this for you.