On the day that the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced the Government's Job Retention Scheme would be extended until the end of June, the CIPD's Chief Executive, Peter Cheese, wrote to him calling for the scheme to be made more flexible to allow short-term working.
The existing scheme employs an 'all or nothing' approach that does not allow staff to undertake any work for their employer. Allowing staff to perform some work would allow employers to flex their workforce, taking the pressure off non-furloughed workers. It would also allow them to bring workers back on reduced hours, which is likely to be necessary if lock down measures are phased out over time and if demand in the economy recovers slowly. Introducing flexibility could also potentially ease the burden on the public finances overall.
You can read Peter Cheese's latest letter dated 17 April to the Chancellor of the Exchequer below.
You can read our previous correspondence with - and responses from - Rishi Sunak below.
Previous correspondence
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