The Politics Thread 2020

[Tamworthram]

15 minutes ago, Paul71 said:

Can we sell Farage to china?

They may have given us Coronavirus but sending them Farage is taking retribution too far.

[Archied]

 

Seen a report that any staff working in nhs whose visa s are expiring with have them automatically extended ,,,,,,,,any risking their lives in our hospitals to save lives should be granted automatic citizenship if they want it

[Highgate]

6 hours ago, GboroRam said:

I mean, would anyone want to use this as a stick to beat the Chinese with?

Maybe we are all reading this wrong and Farage is actually delighted at the prospect.  So much so that he can scarcely believe it to be true.  ?

[Uptherams]

https://mobile.twitter.com/PhdParody/status/1244447950199234560

 

We should get as much PPE from China as we can ?? India too

[TramRam]

Diane Abbott has done it again, She took on a role as an advisor to the Whitehouse on arithmetics.

https://news.sky.com/video/coronavirus-trump-says-population-of-seoul-is-38m-people-11966195

[GboroRam]

15 minutes ago, Uptherams said:

https://mobile.twitter.com/PhdParody/status/1244447950199234560

 

We should get as much PPE from China as we can ?? India too

Thank god good old British factory workers on crap pay always give 100% ?

[Uptherams]

5 minutes ago, GboroRam said:

Thank god good old British factory workers on crap pay always give 100% ?

Of course that's your response ? 

[GboroRam]

8 minutes ago, Uptherams said:

Of course that's your response ? 

And if you believe that low paid workers don't do stupid things, I've got a bridge to sell you. 

My mate worked in a sandwich packing factory, and he never ever bought prepacked sandwiches. Because he knew what the disgusting buggers sometimes did in the mixture. 

[Uptherams]

4 minutes ago, GboroRam said:

And if you believe that low paid workers don't do stupid things, I've got a bridge to sell you. 

My mate worked in a sandwich packing factory, and he never ever bought prepacked sandwiches. Because he knew what the disgusting buggers sometimes did in the mixture. 

Nothing to see here, move along. Why not just remove it ?

[Sith Happens]

7 minutes ago, GboroRam said:

And if you believe that low paid workers don't do stupid things, I've got a bridge to sell you. 

My mate worked in a sandwich packing factory, and he never ever bought prepacked sandwiches. Because he knew what the disgusting buggers sometimes did in the mixture. 

I've always thought morrisons egg mayo sandwiches tasted a bit funny 

[Tyler Durden]

Have already posted this in the Coronavirus thread as don't know where it should sit but the news today they people who have changed jobs after the 28th Feb well before the implications of the virus were even know are not going to be eligible for furlough due to the Treasury's nominal cut off date.

Sort it out Boris and Sunak, there are thousands of people being penalised through no fault of their own. 

[Angry Ram]

Difficult one..what has your new company said? I had a driver start on the 1st March, so not applicable for the furlough scheme, so he is on full pay as normal. 
My understanding of the furlough scheme is that the employee still needs to agree to go on it, the difficulty arises when they don’t. You have not all of a sudden lost your rights as an employee, they are still applicable.

There is still a lot of interpretation involved in the new regulations, the govt has to draw a line somewhere and then it’s down to your employer to do the right thing.

I am putting people on the furlough scheme but topping up for as long as possible.. Still a burden but these people have put enough in to deserve a lot back.. And I need the, motivated and hungry when they eventually come back. 

[GboroRam]

Just now, Angry Ram said:

Difficult one..what has your new company said? I had a driver start on the 1st March, so not applicable for the furlough scheme, so he is on full pay as normal. 
My understanding of the furlough scheme is that the employee still needs to agree to go on it, the difficulty arises when they don’t. You have not all of a sudden lost your rights as an employee, they are still applicable.

There is still a lot of interpretation involved in the new regulations, the govt has to draw a line somewhere and then it’s down to your employer to do the right thing.

I am putting people on the furlough scheme but topping up for as long as possible.. Still a burden but these people have put enough in to deserve a lot back.. And I need the, motivated and hungry when they eventually come back. 

Fair play to you. Good to hear.

My daughter in law has received an email yesterday that she's no longer a member of the work pension scheme. She's 8 and a half months pregnant and on maternity leave. We have no idea what this means - I guess she could be furloughed, but I think more likely the company has just cancelled everyone's contracts and kicked them out of work. Hopefully employment law will kick in as, due to the maternity situation, they should be in big trouble. Sounds like everyone has had their jobs terminated.

[BaaLocks]

21 hours ago, WhiteHorseRam said:

I won't hear a word said against these brave boys.

I went to the Northampton Balloon Festival in about 1996 (I think). There was about 5,000 lager-addled sun burnt ruffians watching, and normally it would be no place for some floppy haired lads who had reached the end of their 15 minute walk down 1980s memory lane.

They stoically filled in when Curiosity Killed the Cat's lead singer was stuck on the train up from London.  (The CKC bloke eventually running onto the stage when he finally got there.) They did their bit and then went Straight Back Down there.

We all cheered and not one bottle of urine flew.

Obviously later the headline act, Mr Howard Jones, was majestic and a good time was had by all.

Simpler times.

 

Howard Jones? Curiosity Killed The Cat? China Crisis? All of a sudden being locked up with no chance of social interaction seems not as bad as it get after all.

[Tamworthram]

20 minutes ago, GboroRam said:

Fair play to you. Good to hear.

My daughter in law has received an email yesterday that she's no longer a member of the work pension scheme. She's 8 and a half months pregnant and on maternity leave. We have no idea what this means - I guess she could be furloughed, but I think more likely the company has just cancelled everyone's contracts and kicked them out of work. Hopefully employment law will kick in as, due to the maternity situation, they should be in big trouble. Sounds like everyone has had their jobs terminated.

I’m not an employment lawyer but I believe you can still be made redundant whilst on maternity leave provided the redundancy has nothing to do with being on leave. If everyone else have also had their jobs terminated then it doesn’t sound as if she’s been discriminated against in which case the company are probably OK. However, all sounds a bit uncertain and, as I say, I’m not an expert.

All employers must provide a pension scheme for their employers so, if she hasn’t been made redundant then I can’t see how she can have been removed.

I’m not sure about being furloughed. Maybe you can temporarily be removed from the scheme.

That’s how I understand it but, I’m sure there is an expert on this forum however, the information provided by your daughter in law is a little vague.

[BaaLocks]

9 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

I’m not an employment lawyer but I believe you can still be made redundant whilst on maternity leave provided the redundancy has nothing to do with being on leave. 

True, pregnancy or disability (not that pregnancy is a disability) aren't criteria for retention. This isn't France for gawd's sake :-).

Interesting times as companies (and individuals) are forced to consider what is more important, profits or people. It's not always an easy decision and I don't envy many the decisions they face. Yesterday my company announced (internally) that the Chairman and CEO have both agreed to forego their entire salary for the year, the board have foregone 50%, all have relinquished bonus. I thought it was an impressive gesture till I was then asked to also forego my bonus - damn those well meaning fools.......

BTW - @GboroRam all the best wishes for your daughter in law. Not nice when it's someone close to you.

[GboroRam]

13 minutes ago, BaaLocks said:

True, pregnancy or disability (not that pregnancy is a disability) aren't criteria for retention. This isn't France for gawd's sake :-).

Interesting times as companies (and individuals) are forced to consider what is more important, profits or people. It's not always an easy decision and I don't envy many the decisions they face. Yesterday my company announced (internally) that the Chairman and CEO have both agreed to forego their entire salary for the year, the board have foregone 50%, all have relinquished bonus. I thought it was an impressive gesture till I was then asked to also forego my bonus - damn those well meaning fools.......

BTW - @GboroRam all the best wishes for your daughter in law. Not nice when it's someone close to you.

I was doing some reading around employment law and if you make someone redundant on maternity you have to offer them an alternative if there is anything suitable. So you can't keep someone on and lay off someone on maternity in the same jobs - you have to lay off the person not on maternity leave. 

Odds are they've just cancelled everyone's contracts to save money and they're all up that proverbial creek.

[Van der MoodHoover]

1 hour ago, Angry Ram said:

Difficult one..what has your new company said? I had a driver start on the 1st March, so not applicable for the furlough scheme, so he is on full pay as normal. 
My understanding of the furlough scheme is that the employee still needs to agree to go on it, the difficulty arises when they don’t. You have not all of a sudden lost your rights as an employee, they are still applicable.

There is still a lot of interpretation involved in the new regulations, the govt has to draw a line somewhere and then it’s down to your employer to do the right thing.

I am putting people on the furlough scheme but topping up for as long as possible.. Still a burden but these people have put enough in to deserve a lot back.. And I need the, motivated and hungry when they eventually come back. 

Free winkles and jellied eels in the staff canteen? ?

[ketteringram]

1 hour ago, Angry Ram said:

Difficult one..what has your new company said? I had a driver start on the 1st March, so not applicable for the furlough scheme, so he is on full pay as normal. 
My understanding of the furlough scheme is that the employee still needs to agree to go on it, the difficulty arises when they don’t. You have not all of a sudden lost your rights as an employee, they are still applicable.

There is still a lot of interpretation involved in the new regulations, the govt has to draw a line somewhere and then it’s down to your employer to do the right thing.

I am putting people on the furlough scheme but topping up for as long as possible.. Still a burden but these people have put enough in to deserve a lot back.. And I need the, motivated and hungry when they eventually come back. 

Quick question if I may.

As an employer, when you put people on furlough, were they given an option to accept or not? 

The reason I'm asking, is that we were basically sent home , and told we were being furloughed. By the time I got home, I'd received an email explaining it a bit more, and it also said , something like...we hope you accept this. The alternative is voluntary redundancy, and failing that , compulsory redundancy.

But this was from a , do not reply, email address. No further mention was made of accepting it or not. 

There is now no one at work. Manufacturer, about 520 employees.

[Stive Pesley]

1 minute ago, ketteringram said:

Quick question if I may.

As an employer, when you put people on furlough, were they given an option to accept or not? 

The reason I'm asking, is that we were basically sent home , and told we were being furloughed. By the time I got home, I'd received an email explaining it a bit more, and it also said , something like...we hope you accept this. The alternative is voluntary redundancy, and failing that , compulsory redundancy.

But this was from a , do not reply, email address. No further mention was made of accepting it or not. 

There is now no one at work. Manufacturer, about 520 employees.

You a union member? That'd be a good start