The government is facing criticism from nearly every section of society when it comes to its plan to abruptly end Coronavirus support.
News brief - 11/09/20 View this email in your browser
Unions, employers and MPs unite to fight for extended furlough scheme
The government is fending off criticism from all quarters this week after confirming the controversial appointment of Tony Abott to the new UK Trade Board, brazenly publishing plans to deliberately break international law, and failing to respond to calls for an extended - or alernative - Job Retention Scheme.
The Treasury Committee, the Labour Party, the CBI, the FSB, manufacturing body Make UK and the TUC have all warned the government of the shock to the economy and the resulting job losses that will come with the abrupt end of the Job Retention Scheme on 31 October.
Many forecasts and surveys have warned that redundancies will be made en masse when the government's financial support ends.
Recommendations from MPs, unions and employers range from extending the furlough programme in its existing form, to continuing it only for the most critical industries, to continuing it only for the most economically viable businesses.
The TUC, for its part, has urged the government to follow in the footsteps of Austria, France and Germany, which have adopted a "short time working" scheme in place of furlough.
Such a scheme would mean a 70% financial subsidy for employers that bring back all of their workers for a proportion of their normal working hours. For the hours that they continue to be furloughed, workers would receive at least 80% of their wage.
At the latest count, the current administration has u-turned 13 times during its first nine months of office. It's possible this issue will lead to more backtracking from Boris Johnson and his Ministers, but there are also worrying signs campaigners' warnings will be ignored. The Treasury Committee disclosed its "disappointment" at the lack of response received when it told the government over a million workers were falling through the gaps in its Coronavirus support schemes.
All of this and more is, of course, detailed on our new interactive timeline of the Boris Johnson government and its attempts to grapple with employment law.
The timeline covers a wider range of news that has a knock-on effect on labour rights, including insights into the ideological underpinnings of ministers.
This week, Boris Johnson is admiring of Trump's unique relationship with the truth, a Cummings hire is sacked after advocating for mass murder, and Matt Hancock singles out a "toxic" manager for praise.
View the timeline
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IER and Covid-19
Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease and the need to keep our staff, supporters and speakers safe, IER have decided to postpone all forthcoming IER events and meetings until further notice, including both Health and safety at work after Brexit conferences in Liverpool and London, the IER Executive Committee, IER AGM and our joint event with the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom on 6th June.
IER staff will continue to work, but remotely from home. We will answer emails, produce publications and circulate our weekly News Briefs and other on-line information. However, phone calls to the office or mail sent by post will not receive immediate attention.
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