Like many in the #ukemplaw world I've basically been spending this week talking and writing about furlough and the coronavirus job retention scheme. This morning I've been struck with a sudden attack of scepticism 1/6
When push comes to shove all we have to go on is a guidance document and an assurance that the scheme will be up and running in time for the April payroll. But the technical work that needs to be done to put that in place is enormous 2/6
It swamps the employment law issues that I've been wrangling with - how do you choose which employees are furloughed? do you 'top up' the government's grant? can you take annual leave while on furlough? What if the scheme isn't ready in time? 3/6
Once the application is made, how long before payment follows? What if the website can't cope with the traffic? What happens to employees already placed on furlough if the system doesn't actually work? 4/6
We're talking here about a system that would normally take months or years going from a standing start to fully operational in just a few weeks? If this actually works I'm going to be lost in admiration for the officials that made it happen. 5/6
If it doesn't work, I really don't know what happens next.
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