The Government has introduced two new schemes to help employers and employees.

Job Support Scheme (JSS) extension - Care Accountancy Leeds
JSS expanded

It is no longer called the Furlough scheme.   It applies from 1st November to all employees and agency employees.  You do not have to have been on a Furlough scheme to be eligible, but you must have been on the payroll on 23rd September 2020.  Note it does not apply to the self employed. 

The schemes do not apply to fully publicly funded employment. 

There are two types of scheme:  one for places of work that are still open but which have much less business (Job Support Scheme Open), and one for places of work that have to close (Job Support Scheme Closed).

The Government will look carefully at whether an employer is eligible and the employer has to prove that there has been a reduction in turnover.  It is administered by HMRC which has set up a fraud helpline.

Your employer will also need to send you a new contract of employment in which you agree to these temporary measure which start on 1st November and will end on 30th April 2021.

Further amendments to (JSS) Job Support Scheme | Aston Bond
JSS – is it for me ?

The JSS Open

You will have to work at least 20% of your normal hours.  You will be paid for the hours that you work.  For those hours that you do not work, your employer will pay you 5% of these up to £125 per month and the Government will pay you 61% of these up to £1541 per month.  You should receive no less than 73% of your usual pay and possibly more, depending on how many hours you work.  Your employer will pay all of your national insurance and pension contributions.  You can attend training in working hours. 

The JSS Closed

Every employee will be paid 2/3rds of their normal pay up to a maximum of £2083 per month.  You can attend training while you are being paid.  As soon as the business is able to open again, this scheme will end, but your employer might claim for reduced hours under the JSS Open scheme.

The employer is still able to make redundancies during this time, and these will be lawful if the correct process is followed.  If the employer fails to consider the option of using either scheme, a claim for unfair dismissal might be possible.

Find out more at the Gov.uk website