Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the governments furlough scheme has been extended until the end of October.
He made the announcement today.
He said that in order for it to be sustainable and continued until October, if needed, employers will have to contribute to the pay of the workers, whilst the workers still earn 80% of their usual salary up to £2,500 a month.
Chancellor Sunak told the Commons today that: “I’m extending the scheme because I won’t give up on the people who rely on it.
“Our message today is simple: we stood behind Britain’s workers and businesses as we came into this crisis, and we will stand behind them as we come through the other side.”
But the government has been criticised for the scheme, despite all the good it is doing. It’s been said that workers are apparently “addicted” to the concept of furlough, and that it needs to be slowly “weaned off.”
In respond to this, the chancellor continued saying: “The use of the word addiction is not one that I have ever used, and not one that I agree with.
“Nobody who is on the furlough scheme wants to be on this scheme.
“People up and down this country believe in the dignity of their work, going to work, providing for their families.
“It is not their fault that their business has been asked to close, it is not their fault that they have been asked to stay at home, and that is why I established this scheme to support these people and their livelihoods at this critical time.”
The room for flexibility and constant change of the scheme is always an option, officials have said. So this could be ever changing with new aids put in place if and when needed.
