Furlough

[Chippy_Tea]

The money goes to the employers and they are supposed to pay the workers but unscrupulous business owner's have been putting pressure on furloughed workers to work at the same time one guy on 5 live said today he did it because he was scared he would lose his job he has now told his boss he doesn't want to do it any more and once he gets his final pay he is going to report his employer to HMRC, its a maximum prison sentence of 10 years lets hope they give those caught a few years inside.

 

[MyQul]

There was something on sky news today about it

https://news.sky.com/story/furlough...-while-firms-get-government-handouts-12009325

 

[Chippy_Tea]

There was something on sky news today about it

I hope the greedy bar stewards get what they deserve.

 

[MyQul]

Me too.

I wasnt furloughed but I'm getting paid the same amount for less work as Im currently not seeing all my clients as some are self isolating

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have worked every day since lockdown started as there didn't seem much point in using holidays when nothing is open, i will probably take a few days off when the shielding lot get back to work as we will then have enough staff to cover all routes.

 

[BrewMeHappy]

I heard about this today too although there were rumblings in the press a day or two ago also. It's a joke that companies seem to have been milking this system.

HMRC should rightly be all over this and hopefully they'll be digging deep into the accounts of companies to compare turnover and income during those months whilst their staff have been on furlough!

We're all going to be paying for this for a very long time.

 

[marshbrewer]

When I was on furlough, my company took the 'not at work' thing so seriously, that when they realised they needed to bring me back, our HR dept were insistent that my gaffer could ring me up to ask me to come back but couldn't tell me which projects he needed me for. Lol. When I got back, all of my access to all (and I mean all) systems had been suspended. So, rest assured, not all companies have been on the fiddle!

 

[Leon103]

Take the money off them in form of higher taxes.

A son of a neighbour is a supervisor on the highways dept for the council. He is also a carpenter and general builder on the side, working in the evening and weekends etc.

Somehow he managed to get furlough from the council (how I don't know) and is also working full time in his own business, whilst some self employed people,contractors etc can't work and are getting nothing.

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

When I was on furlough, my company took the 'not at work' thing so seriously, that when they realised they needed to bring me back, our HR dept were insistent that my gaffer could ring me up to ask me to come back but couldn't tell me which projects he needed me for. Lol. When I got back, all of my access to all (and I mean all) systems had been suspended. So, rest assured, not all companies have been on the fiddle!

Same here. I work for Millets, part of the JD sports Group and they have taken Furlough and everything so seriously that I have been locked out of systems for days. Even after returning to work. Better to be safe than sorry I suppose

 

[Barley Rubble]

Return to work! I'd love to go back to work. I've been furloughed since 19th March and received an email last week stating will continue to be furloughed until the end of July! The novelty of being at home is wearing off now. All the jobs around the house that SWMBO has instructed me to do have been completed. The 20% cut in wages doesn't help either!
Then this Monday just gone, via a zoom conference meeting, were told that there is likely to be around 60 redundancies including transport. They have lost around 80 % of their turnover since the lock down.
I am a delivery driver in the Fine Foods industry, the core business being supplying Events, Cruise ships, Hotels, Pubs, Schools, Colleges and Universities. All or most of which are still closed.
Spare a thought eh.....

 

[thesteve]

IMO it is a decent system and very few people (employed and self employed) will have ended up with nothing at all. Most will either have been furloughed, received a self employed grant or a grant for their business premises. Like everything else there will be a very small minority who have been unlucky and not quite met the criteria. Also, like all government grants/benefits there are a few who will bend the rules or be purely fraudulent. That is not the fault of the system, just people being the kind of people they are.

Take the money off them in form of higher taxes.

A son of a neighbour is a supervisor on the highways dept for the council. He is also a carpenter and general builder on the side, working in the evening and weekends etc.

Somehow he managed to get furlough from the council (how I don't know) and is also working full time in his own business, whilst some self employed people,contractors etc can't work and are getting nothing.

Raising taxes will not help to combat crooks. All it will do is penalise those who play by the rules.

Also, don't see the problem with your guy who is getting furlough pay whilst continuing to work in his own business, the two are totally separate. Not his fault that he cannot work in his employment.............and there are (very) few self employed people getting nothing. A tiny, tiny minority.

 

[Leon103]

IMO it is a decent system and very few people (employed and self employed) will have ended up with nothing at all. Most will either have been furloughed, received a self employed grant or a grant for their business premises. Like everything else there will be a very small minority who have been unlucky and not quite met the criteria. Also, like all government grants/benefits there are a few who will bend the rules or be purely fraudulent. That is not the fault of the system, just people being the kind of people they are.



Raising taxes will not help to combat crooks. All it will do is penalise those who play by the rules.

Also, don't see the problem with your guy who is getting furlough pay whilst continuing to work in his own business, the two are totally separate. Not his fault that he cannot work in his employment.............and there are (very) few self employed people getting nothing. A tiny, tiny minority.

I meant extra taxes for those who claim furlough but commit fraud.

The figures I have read say that there are approx. 3million that can't claim self employment benefit whilst there have been 2.6m claims. Not really a tiny tiny number. Whilst my in my example there was nothing wrong, morally I don't think it right. What I don't get is how the council are furloughing staff when they were asking teachers to do refuse collection.

 

[thesteve]

Not sure where you are getting these figures from but I have helped a number of businesses with these claims and very rare to see someone ineligible. Unless they have started self employment since 6 April 2019 then most will qualify. Limited companies are different but they can access the furlough scheme if they are not working.

 

[Leon103]

Not sure where you are getting these figures from but I have helped a number of businesses with these claims and very rare to see someone ineligible. Unless they have started self employment since 6 April 2019 then most will qualify. Limited companies are different but they can access the furlough scheme if they are not working.

Widely available on the net. There as been a massive bomb in self employed, contract, gig work etc in the last year or so

 

[Norfolk79]

Reading the story, there was somebody who lost their job because they refused to work whilst furloughed. Can’t see how this would not be unfair dismissal if they took their employer to a tribunal?

For those of you who know peppa pig...

https://southendnewsnetwork.net/new...-month-after-being-furloughed-from-every-job/

 

[ChrisInBucks]

Unfortunately it does seem this is a reality. Whilst the furlough scheme has been a lifesaver for a lot of people, one of my closest friends is on furlough but was pressured to work throughout the lockdown to some extent. The only reason he did it is because he knew everyone else would work so was worried he would be pushed out if he didn't conform - he actually didn't mind working but it was the way the business went about it that angered him, very cloak and daggers.

I also read an article last week that some companies had been putting their employees on furlough and not telling their staff... Couldn't make it up!

 

[Hagrid]

I work for a charity, supporting the local community. Our funders have been amazing and continued to tonfund even though we have lowered our caseload significantly (although some days I’ve been busier than when in the office!) plus sharing babysitting the munchkin (apparently it’s called parenting when they’re your own...) but have been encouraged to take leave otherwise we’ll struggle to deliver our contracts upon return. Yet I’ve still had members of my team trying to cancel leave until we return.

But it has allowed me to get some more brewing in and DIY done. :)

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The only reason he did it is because he knew everyone else would work so was worried he would be pushed out if he didn't conform

Why didn't he phone HMRC anonymously and shop his boss ?

 

[ChrisInBucks]

Why didn't he phone HMRC anonymously and shop his boss ?

I think he was worried in that scenario, his business would then make some staff redundant and furlough (even if working illegally) is 80% better than having no job. In hindsight he may have handled it differently but as they say, hindsight in a wonderful thing!

 

[Clint]

The idea of the furlough is that you have zero staff in because of the nature of your business or you have reduced staff to stop close contact. Either way you would expect output/revenue to drop...