{"id":73738,"date":"2020-03-24T09:52:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T09:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=73738"},"modified":"2020-03-24T09:52:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-24T09:52:32","slug":"coronavirus-job-retention-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme\/73738\/","title":{"rendered":"Engineering body voices coronavirus job retention scheme concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

More flexibility is needed from the government\u2019s new coronavirus job retention scheme, says engineering services trade body ECA<\/a><\/h2>\n

Some of the key details of the government\u2019s<\/a> new coronavirus job retention scheme have been questioned by ECA.<\/p>\n

ECA\u2019s director of employment and skills, Andrew Eldred, commented: \u201cThe Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme surely represents one of the most extraordinary products of these times.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn effective 80% state subsidy for wages in the private sector, in a previously liberal free-market economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, ECA believes that a more flexible approach needs to be designed into the scheme from the start. First, employers should be given the option to share work more equitably between their employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, employers and their employees should be free to agree other reduced hours working arrangements, whilst still enjoying the security offered by the government\u2019s 80% guarantee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharing work<\/h3>\n

ECA believes that sharing work more equitably between employees could be achieved by them moving between working and \u2018furloughed\u2019 status according to a structured pattern \u2013 for example, one week \u2018on\u2019, followed by one week \u2018off\u2019. Arrangements of this sort are quite common for \u2018furloughs\u2019 in the USA, and there are similar arrangements for short-time working arrangements in the UK.<\/p>\n

Reduced working hours<\/h3>\n

Secondly, ECA believes employers and their employees should be free to agree other reduced hours working arrangements, whilst still enjoying the security offered by Government\u2019s 80% guarantee. This extra flexibility should help encourage businesses to continue servicing customers \u2013 for example by carrying urgent or safety-critical work \u2013 without putting their own survival and the economic security of their employees at risk.<\/p>\n

More widely, ECA expressed some concern about the possible impact the new coronavirus job retention scheme might have on those who continue to be employed and working, compared to colleagues who would not be required to work.<\/p>\n

Coronavirus job retention scheme<\/h3>\n

The government\u2019s coronavirus job retention scheme is open to all companies regardless of size. They can apply to HMRC for a maximum of \u00a32,500 per \u2018furloughed\u2019 worker per month, worth 80% of their wages, with a grant paid direct to the business.<\/p>\n

Other measures announced by the government to support businesses included an extension of the business interruption loan scheme to 12 months, and the ability to defer VAT bills until the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More flexibility is needed from the government\u2019s new coronavirus job retention scheme, says engineering services trade body ECA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[304],"tags":[676,54592,711,636,276,432],"stakeholder_rel_tag":[],"contributor_rel_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-73738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-planning-construction-news","7":"tag-construction","8":"tag-coronavirus","9":"tag-eca","10":"tag-engineering","11":"tag-government","12":"tag-health-safety"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEngineering body voices coronavirus job retention scheme concerns<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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