Lots of our members in the private sector have been put on ‘furlough’ leave by their employer, under the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). This means that, rather than be made redundant, they will be kept ‘on the books’ and the government will reimburse their employer for up to 80% of the their normal pay.
Until today, the cut-off date to be eligible for the CJRS was 28 February. This meant you could only be considered for furlough if you had been employed by your employer on (or before) 28 February. Anyone who started a new job from 1 March was not eligible.
The government has today (15 April) announced that the scheme has been amended so anyone employed on, or before, 19 March 2020 can be covered. This was the day before the government announced the scheme.
North Yorkshire UNISON welcomes this change. We know of several members who work in the private sector who have been made redundant as they did not meet the cut-off date threshold.
The government also confirmed that the online portal where employers can claim for salaries under the CJRS will go live on Monday 20 April meaning employers can submit claims online.
