Auction Finder
21 Aug 2018
LAMMA 2021
25 May 2021
Government confirms furloughed workers able to seek alternative employment
The Government has confirmed furloughed workers will be able to take on additional work during the coronavirus pandemic, in a bid to address the farming sector’s labour shortages.
It comes after a nationwide recruitment campaign was launched to encourage British people to help produce, manufacture and deliver food to meet increasing consumer demand during the crisis.
Anticipating a shortfall of about 80 per cent of the workforce, CLA president Mark Bridgeman said the Government had taken heed of ‘industry warnings’.
He said: “The Government has listened and has now made it clear that if you are furloughed, you should be able to undertake seasonal paid employment to supplement your income.”
Read More
The move followed calls from farm organisations to introduce a flexible furlough scheme to offset Covid-19 shortfalls in labour across the industry.
Positive
NFU vice-president Tom Bradshaw highlighted the move was ‘positive’ and would help to widen the recruitment pool, especially for growers who had relied on migrant workers to pick and pack fresh fruit and vegetables.
With furloughed workers now able to collect wages through the introduction of a temporary licensing scheme, Mr Bradshaw said the NFU would be working with Defra Secretary George Eustice to find ‘innovative’ solutions to mobilise the workforce in the coming months.
Mr Bridgeman added it was now ‘vital’ employers allowed their furloughed staff to be released from any contractual obligations that limited their ability to seek alternative work.
Most Read
Most Recent
New young sire options for Holstein breeders
56
63
DNA data could benefit the beef industry
31
New sheep scab project success
18
55
Young farmer dies in tragic ATV incident
2377
125Worker dies in heather burning incident
897
New watchlist highlights rarest UK breeds
100
314
250
6316
Dorset records smashed at Ballymena
111
48
9037
Public turns to butchers for quality meat
427Farmers Guardian and FarmersGuardian.com are trademarks of Farmers Guardian Ltd, a subsidiary of AgriBriefing Ltd.
All material published on FGInsight.com and FarmersGuardian.com is copyrighted © 2021 by AgriBriefing Limited. All rights reserved.
