Made redundant on the 10th of March but company won't furlough

wattosay89

Hi,

Wondering if anyone could offer some advice here please. I was made redundant on the 10th of march and am due to leave next Thursday (9th of April) my company refuses to furlough me as they say the job will not be there in 3 months time?

Can they do this? I was an employee and they could help so why aren't they. Worth pointing out it is a large company.

Confused, worried and think it stinks! Help please 🙏

poppy12345

Yes because it's entirely up to your employer whether they chose to furlough you or not. Look at Universal Credit providing you don't have savings/capital of more than £16,000.

elsien

As far as I understand it, there is no obligation on them to furlough. 

calcotti

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

If you and your employer both agree, your employer might be able to keep you on the payroll if they’re unable to operate or have no work for you to do because of coronavirus (COVID-19). This is known as being ‘on furlough’.

They are under no obligation.

wattosay89

Okay, so there's no extra support for people who are stuck due to little to no jobs. Might as well stack shelves then as they are the only jobs left.

Seems crazy that some people are being penalised more than others.

Thank you all for help though! 😁😁

calcotti

wattosay89 said: Okay, so there's no extra support for people who are stuck due to little to no jobs. Might as well stack shelves then as they are the only jobs left.

Seems crazy that some people are being penalised more than others

If needed look at eligibility for Universal Credit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/. 

There are online calculators to help you assess entitlement  https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

Be aware that claiming UC will end any Tax Credits, Housing Benefit or other means tested benefits you currently get.

You will be excluded from UC if you have savings over £16,000.

You may also be able to claim Council Tax Reduction from your local council

wattosay89

Last question, can I apply now or do I do it once I am redundant?

poppy12345

wattosay89 said:

Last question, can I apply now or do I do it once I am redundant?

You can apply anytime but any earnings you receive after your claim for UC is started will affect the amount you'll receive that month.

wattosay89

Hi all, sorry to come back on this. It stinks! I'm gonna lose about a third of my income. I have applied for 50+ jobs within the last week's and haven't heard back on any. This includes temp work and work I am over qualified for. My husband is a key worker that makes employment harder. 

I can't believe a company of this size can get away without furloughing employees and continues to make redundancies.

Is there nothing that can be done to apply some sort of pressure in cases where they could furlough?

Thanks, sorry it just sucks and is worrying.

sharpe106

No as it is only optional. The scheme was originally meant to protect jobs which was why it was optional. Although granted it has changed quite a lot since then. That is about the only part that has not changed.  

comeandgo

The scheme is to protect jobs but your employer has said even after covid19 you will not have a job therefore I think they are right in not offering furlough.