Furlough scheme extension welcome but it is far too late for thousands of creative workers, says Bectu

Bectu is calling on the government to announce an extension to furlough sooner rather than later. This follows Saturday’s announcement of a second lockdown in England.

Head of Bectu, Philippa Childs said: 

“The extension of the furlough scheme is welcome, though it is coming far too late for thousands of theatre, cinema and live events workers already made redundant. Employers will start making decisions about December payroll soon, so I urge the government to announce an extension to furlough sooner rather than later, so that thousands more don’t lose their jobs due to Government indecision.

“It is deeply concerning that yet again, self-employed and freelancer workers have been overlooked by the government. Those able to access SEISS are expected to live on just 40% of their average earnings and 2.9 million people, including thousands in the creative industries, are excluded from the scheme altogether. After months of ignoring this problem, the government must fix SEISS and provide some certainty.”