Bectu urges government to extend furlough to save creative jobs

The general secretary of Bectu’s parent union Prospect has written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak urging him to reconsider his stance on extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) on a sectoral basis.

In the letter, Mike Clancy highlights mounting redundancies in areas such as theatre and live events as well as other areas such as heritage and aviation to argue that the government should extend the CJRS for those industries least able to resume normal activities after the pandemic.

This comes after Bectu revealed a shocking increase in theatre redundancies as the CJRS is phased out by the government.

The current situation, the letter warns is a ‘charter for mass redundancies’ and Sunak’s Job Retention Bonus of £1000 is proving ineffective at saving jobs.

Instead, resources should be spent on extending the furlough scheme for these sectors and saving jobs that will be economically viable in normal times, Clancy argues:

“The imminent wave of unemployment facing some of the most productive sectors of our economy is entirely avoidable, and action to avert it is eminently affordable, and makes undeniable economic sense in the medium and long term.

I am urging you again to reconsider the end of the furlough and commit the resources needed now to safeguard jobs, skills, livelihoods for an additional few months until more of the economy can reopen safely.”

The full letter can be read here.