CENTRAL DEVON MP Mel Stride has welcomed the announcement from HM Treasury that workers on paternity and maternity leave who return to work in the coming months will be eligible for the government’s furlough scheme. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which has been extended until October, will include new flexibilities from 1 July to support the economy by allowing furloughed employees to return to work part-time. Employers and the Government will both contribute to their wages.
To enable the introduction of part-time furloughing, CJRS will be restricted to employers currently using the scheme and previously furloughed employees. This means people must have been on the furlough scheme by 10 June. An exception though has been granted to parents on statutory maternity and paternity leave, with working mothers in particular often keen to return to work part-time.
Mr Stride, who chairs the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee said:
“Back in April the committee pressed the Chancellor on behalf of the 80,000 self-employed women who have taken maternity leave in the last three years and found their lower-than-normal earnings adversely affected their payments from the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. More recently we have raised the issue of employed workers who are currently on maternity or paternity leave and ensuring they are eligible for support. It is good to see the Chancellor has listened and has factored this into the scheme.”
The CJRS has so far helped one million employers across the UK furlough almost nine million employees, helping businesses retain staff for when they are able to return to work and helping families retain their financial security.
