A Harrogate employment lawyer says people who lost their jobs on the last day of October are upset and cynical.
Richard Port, principal solicitor at Boardside Ltd in Harrogate, said he was aware of cases where firms had put restructure plans in place for October 31, so will have lost staff on the same day the Prime Minister announced another lockdown and an extension to furlough.
The furlough scheme will see the government pay for 80% of employee salaries up to £2,500 a month. However, employers will have to cover pension and national insurance contributions.
The scheme was supposed to end on October 31, but now is going to end in early December.
Richard Port, Boardside Legal
Mr Port said some businesses will have met the announcement with surprise.
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He said employees could return to their employer to ask for their jobs back, but most businesses have already made restructures due to the end of furlough.
Mr Port said:
“I think people are just disappointed. What they can do is go back to their employer and ask if they can take them back on.
“But I do not think many employers will want to do it.”
He added that the virus was taking its toll on all business.
“It is perfectly viable businesses that are shutting because of this. People are struggling to get their heads around it.
“The classic example is the pub. That is a part of our culture. It is a part of the British way of life and it is going.”
