Examiner employment status

CarolMH

I got this back from Cambridge today - not sure taking a weekly average across a year  is what furloughing is about?

Thank you for your email.  The ex-gratia payment is a one-off goodwill payment for assessments specialists who will have no assessment to do in summer 2020. In the scheme, furlough payments are calculated on earnings in the 2019-2020 financial year, taking a weekly average and multiplying by three to cover the three-week period of furlough. You have been offered an ex-gratia payment as this will be higher than the furlough payment calculation. OCR/Cambridge Assessment will fund the ex gratia payment, not the government, so we have determined a payment that is sustainable. 

stratocaster1991

Carol, is this OCR or CIE? I’ve had a similar reply from OCR, but a more generous one from CIE that says the calculation is based on what I was paid for the same period last year. Seems very unfair to average out the entire year when the nature of the work is periodic, even if you mark for a variety of series!

CarolMH

Hi stratocaster1991 
It is from OCR. I believe the schools have paid the boards and are not being refunded? I was due to earn around  £1800 over 4 weeks with 2 contracts. £250 is better than nothing but it doesn't address my needs. The board is taking the earnings as annual earnings rather than a seasonal earnings, but I don't know enough about furlough to argue with them. In addition, they are demanding acceptance in only a couple of days! I am very disappointed.