Furlough scheme - employers to get bonus

[sugarfizzle]

The chancellor has announced today that firms will be paid £1,000 for each employee they keep on until January
For businesses to get the bonus, the employee must be paid at least £520 on average, in each month from November to the end of January - the equivalent of the lower earnings limit in national insurance.

Absolutely fantastic - for those who have a job to go back to.

What about those companies which have furloughed staff, but will not have any income to pay them anything when the furlough scheme ends.

Plenty of businesses still not open, some will not reopen now until next year, if ever.

I know not everyone can be helped, but those who have had little or no help already might feel this is a kick in the teeth

Regards Margaret

[Lisajb]

It won’t save me, I was the only one furloughed, and a thousand pounds won’t persuade them to keep me

[sonofthom]

For tens of thousands very sadly furlough is just delayed redundancy. Every day now is bringing more news of job losses.The only way to save jobs is to get everyone back to work immediately and remove restrictions on businesses that are destroying their ability to make profits. The Chancellor does not have an unlimited money supply and the effects of economic devastation would be with us for many years.

[sugarfizzle]

Wedding industry, for example

Little income winter/early spring. No income since March, none for the foreseeable future (relatively few people want a small wedding with no reception or time to chat to guests, so won't need any of the trimmings).

If you think of the myriad businesses involved - flowers, decorations, photographers, and many more.

Nothing for them at all.

Regards Margaret

[sonofthom]

The tourist industry is taking a major hit, particularly in Scotland. The myriad of Government regulations (or guidelines - often not made clear that they are not law) is stifling business. The reason for lockdown, protecting the NHS, is long since achieved so time for everyone to get back to work. It is also time for the NHS to resume its role of protecting us, and against ALL illnesses, not just Covid 19.

[Guy Etchells]

The tourist industry is taking a major hit, particularly in Scotland. The myriad of Government regulations (or guidelines - often not made clear that they are not law) is stifling business. The reason for lockdown, protecting the NHS, is long since achieved so time for everyone to get back to work. It is also time for the NHS to resume its role of protecting us, and against ALL illnesses, not just Covid 19.

Not helped by the racist demonstration on the A1 about  4 days ago.
Cheers
Guy

[sonofthom]

Guy, totally agree - shocking behaviour. Nicola Sturgeon’s reluctance to condemn them was appalling and sends out such a negative image.

[Jomot]

The reason for lockdown, protecting the NHS, is long since achieved so time for everyone to get back to work. It is also time for the NHS to resume its role of protecting us, and against ALL illnesses, not just Covid 19.

I couldn't agree more, and not just back to work but back to living & spending too. 

Perhaps those older/high risk people that we protected by staying home for so long now have a moral duty to repay the favour by getting their wallets out to protect the jobs of the low risk/young.

I'm sure there will be lots of indignation, but older people - many of whom own their homes outright - were by far the main beneficiaries of the lock-down, yet I didn't see any pensioners taking a 20% cut in income, or losing their income entirely, or falling into arrears on their mortgage/rent and other bills whilst struggling to turn their homes into a classroom. 

Personally I feel that if you haven't suffered financially (and I include myself in this) then the very least you should be doing now is putting some money back into the economy to protect jobs.  If you've nothing you can spend it on then buy some vouchers & shove them through the letterbox of someone who can use them.

[Caw1]

I couldn't agree with you more...
We've been fortunate enough, being retired, not to have to worry about paying mortgages, worrying about jobs etc who lost we've watched our daughter and family coping with working from home and trying to home school two children ... unable to assist them either ....

The hospitals need to get back to providing their services for all people... my OH should have had an appointment just as lockdown came and no signs of anything happening yet...

Whilst some people are returning to work in a very limited way others are just sitting and waiting while stress levels build up because they don't know what's going to happen to them..

It would be great to feel safe enough to get out and enjoy life to the full as before but I don't somehow think that's going to happen anytime soon!
I've done my best to order stuff online so at least it keeps some businesses going but it's not so easy to get back to actual shops yet.

More importantly the children need to get back to school as they are missing out on their education and they're not in the vulnerable group this will then allow parents to get back to work... but now we've got the summer holidays coming up so that's more time spent at home.

Caroline