As the sun sets on the government’s furlough scheme which will end in exactly 15 days’ time on the 30 September, the government has updated its guidance for employers on the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme. However before you all get excited, it’s not an extension to the current scheme, but rather what employers will need to consider with regards to staff who are still on furlough. A new section headed “When the government ends the scheme” has been added.
In short, the guidance under the new section states that employers will need to make decisions in anticipation of the scheme ending. Namely;
- Whether to bring employees back to work
- Terminate their employment on grounds of redundancy
- Agree with employees any changes to their terms and conditions of employment
There are currently around 1.9 million people still on furlough, many of whom are employed in the travel industry and with the lack of sector specific support, employers in the industry will yet again face difficult decisions as to what to do for the best with regards to staff. Many employers will have already decided, but such decisions cannot be delayed much longer, because of the time it takes to go through redundancy consultations or indeed for time to consult on contract variations.
If you require advice or want to talk through your options please
get in touch with Ami or call us on;
0113 258 0033
This article was originally published on: 15 September 2021
