Public sector workers cannot be furloughed

leaseholder25

Hello, I’ve been a journalist for more than 25 years and working for our national broadcaster, BBC News, for the last ten years. The last few years, I’ve been working for them as a full time, freelance worker. I wanted to be self employed and file my own tax returns but the BBC refused and made me PAYE. Now, for the first time since I started working freelance, I have no work booked in for next month, and no work for the foreseeable future. This is because all news departments have scaled back their teams and many staff are working from home. I approached BBC HR about the possibility of being furloughed for May but we’ve been told that the BBC is a public sector body and so it cannot furlough it’s PAYE workers. I’ve taken a mortgage holiday for three months but I still have bills to pay and Universal Credit won’t cover them. We’ve been told that as public sector journalists, we’re key workers. So why is it, that we’re not entitled to the same support from the government as every other worker?

Mrsn

Because the government never intended for the furlough scheme to be used for the public sector. It is the same for teachers, doctors and other members unfortunately, key roles must still exist and continue as usual they have always been quiet clear on that.

Just so you know not every other worker is guaranteed to be entitled to it either... it is always the decision and the discretion of the employer whether they choose to even offer it. Have a look at the many many threads on here from people who think they should get it and can’t.

sharpe106

The job retention scheme was originally meant to be a job retention scheme. Which was what it was when the government first announced it. However since then politicians have been promising everybody left right and centre that they can claim for it and the policy has been updated. For some reason they have decided not include public sector workers in it. Which seems completely unfair when they are the sector that are pretty much still working.