Furloughed from work

GillsAndy

Sorry if there have been threads like this I’ve just been furloughed from my work, they’ve told us we are furloughed until the end of July however the government scheme runs out in June at the moment so how can they say this. And also
we've all got to go in & do a 3 week
stint during this period to keep our training up but we asked them & said if we are furloughed we are not meant to be going to work but they have said we can be unfurloughed for this & then put back on being furloughed does anyone know if this is correct.

lopsyfa

Your employer can furlough you till end of July and  if the government scheme is not extended, that means your employer will be the one paying for the period the government scheme doesn't cover.

Also, they can also unforlough you and ask you to come back to work but to claim for the government each furlough period must be at least 3 weeks. If not, your employer will have to cover it.

simonent

I'm currently on furlough but have been offered a new job, the new job is currently working but my question is if I take this new job and the country is put on a second lockdown would I be still entitled for furlough with the new company?
Desperately need to earn some money but concerned if I take the new job and we get locked down again I would be left high and dry.

daKlone

You can go in for training while furloughed, just watch for the definition in the guidance as to what that is:

"If your employee undertakes training

Furloughed employees can engage in training, as long as in undertaking the training the employee does not provide services to, or generate revenue for, or on behalf of their organisation or a linked or associated organisation. Furloughed employees should be encouraged to undertake training.

Where training is undertaken by furloughed employees, at the request of their employer, they are entitled to be paid at least their appropriate national minimum wage for this time. In most cases, the furlough payment of 80% of an employee’s regular wage, up to the value of £2,500, will provide sufficient monies to cover these training hours. However, where the time spent training attracts a minimum wage entitlement in excess of the furlough payment, employers will need to pay the additional wages (see National Minimum Wage Section for more details)."

In the unlikely event that you do a lot of training, the company must make your wages up to at least minimum wage if the CJRS payment doesn't exceed that already.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

daKlone

simonent said:

I'm currently on furlough but have been offered a new job, the new job is currently working but my question is if I take this new job and the country is put on a second lockdown would I be still entitled for furlough with the new company?
Desperately need to earn some money but concerned if I take the new job and we get locked down again I would be left high and dry.

Best start a new thread simonot, but as I understand it no, under the current rules your new employer would not be able to claim on the CJRS for you. If they wanted to furlough you, they would have to pay for it themselves.

poppy12345

simonent said:

I'm currently on furlough but have been offered a new job, the new job is currently working but my question is if I take this new job and the country is put on a second lockdown would I be still entitled for furlough with the new company?
Desperately need to earn some money but concerned if I take the new job and we get locked down again I would be left high and dry.

Under the existing rules, no. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/furlough-scheme-cut-off-date-extended-to-19-march who knows what will happen in the future and at the moment no one can answer that.