Furlough problems and obtaining cash refunds
Money Box
BBC
4.2 • 825 Ratings
🗓️ 2 May 2020
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this week’s Money Box we hear from people who’ve been furloughed by their employer but are being pressured into working anyway - something very much against the rules of the Job Retention Scheme. And can an employer force those people still working to take a pay cut? Paul talks through the legal implications with Susie Al-Qassab, partner at Hodge, Jones and Allen Solicitors.
As the consumer watchdog threatens legal action against companies refusing to refund customers during the coronavirus pandemic, we hear about the struggles some listeners have been having with various companies. Gary Rycroft, partner at Joseph A Jones Solicitors, and consumer rights champion Helen Dewdney from The Complaining Cow website talk through the issues.
And we have exclusive figures from the National Gambling Helpline about a sharp drop in callers and how it’s worried about what that might mean for 100,000s of problem gamblers during lockdown. Paul talks to one of the problem gamblers affected and speaks to Anna Hemmings, CEO at Gamcare.
Reporter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In Northern Ireland, from the late 70s to the early 90s, the IRA killed over 40 alleged informers. |
| 0:08.0 | But the man who often found, tortured and sometimes killed these people on behalf of the IRA |
| 0:12.0 | was himself an informer, a secret British army agent with the codename Stakeknife. |
| 0:18.0 | Who gets to play God? And why me? Why my family? |
| 0:21.3 | When lies are still being told to this day, who do you believe? |
| 0:25.1 | I wouldn't even know where to start, and I'm with the IRA. |
| 0:28.5 | Steakknife. |
| 0:29.7 | Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:33.6 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:36.9 | In this Moneybox podcast, some employers are furlowing staff through the job retention scheme, |
| 0:42.6 | but then asking them to work, which is not allowed. |
| 0:45.7 | What can people do if their employer breaks the rules? |
| 0:48.8 | Companies are being told they must give cash refunds if they cancel flights, holidays, courses or weddings. Many are not. We hear |
| 0:56.3 | your stories and speak to legal experts about your rights and how to enforce them. And we have |
| 1:01.7 | exclusive figures from the National Gambling Helpline about a sharp drop in callers, even though |
| 1:06.5 | there are fears that problem gamblers are struggling during the lockdown. But we start with good news |
| 1:11.6 | from an earlier podcast. We reported last week that many of the 650,000 people who work for |
| 1:18.1 | agencies called umbrella companies, they include supply teachers, healthcare workers and so on, |
| 1:23.3 | that they were being furloughed but paid only 80% of the national minimum wage instead of 80% of their full taxable pay. |
| 1:32.7 | Harriet, who works as a supply teacher, is employed by Generate FS. |
| 1:37.1 | She told us last week her finances would be severely damaged by being furloughed on what was barely a third of her normal pay. |
| 1:43.9 | Now Harriet, Harriet is on the line now. Harriet, what's happened since? |
... |
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