The Unite union has called on the government to say it will extend the leave scheme or face the “demobilization gates” that open in the UK.

The union warned that many workers could expect a “miserable birthday” without targeted support for employers.

The government leave program will end on October 31.

A Treasury spokesperson said the government “has not hesitated to act in innovative and effective ways to support jobs and we will continue to do so.”

Wednesday marks 45 days before the end of the vacation scheme, which is the same amount of time employers must provide notice of redundancy.

The Unite Union said on Wednesday that without a “clear and urgent signal” from the government that it was responding to calls to extend the plan, it feared that “employers facing short-term difficulties will issue dismissal notices.”

Extension calls

The government has been urged by members of Parliament, business groups, unions and political opponents to continue the leave program, whereby workers granted leave receive 80% of their salaries, up to a maximum of £ 2,500 a month.

The scheme, which cost more than £ 35 billion, was initially funded by the government, but companies began contributing to wages in September after the scheme began to fade.

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The Treasury Select Committee said last week the government Consideration should be given to a targeted extension of the system.

In the first week of September Manufacturers have warned of a second wave of job cuts Without an extension, the CBI industry group said an alternative was needed to avoid “the brink of the abyss”.

TUC said on Monday Counselor Rishi Sunak They must act to prevent a “tsunami” of job losses.

Tuesday Labor leader Keir Starmer called for the scheme to be replaced.

United Secretary-General Lynn McCluskey said on Wednesday that a signal from the government about the targeted extension of the scheme “will put an end to distressed employers who are working hard to achieve stability in the face of the enormous challenges.”

“As our rivals announce to extend or amend job retention schemes, we ask your government to recognize the need for UK companies and workers to receive similar support,” McCluskey wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

A UNITE spokeswoman said it wanted to see support in sectors including manufacturing, aviation infrastructure, aerospace and hospitality.

‘continue’

But in August, the government’s plan to wrap up the plan had the support of Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, who said it was important for policymakers to help workers “move forward” and Don’t keep them in unproductive jobs.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said extending the scheme would only keep people “in a state of disruption of animation”.

The government has repeatedly rejected calls to extend the plan, saying it served its purpose in supporting the economy during the coronavirus crisis.

Counselor Rishi Sunak told him The priority is finding new ways to protect jobs.

“The leave scheme did what it was designed for – saving jobs and helping people get back to work,” a Treasury spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the government had made “unprecedented interventions” including giving companies £ 1,000 for every defaulted worker still working in January, work-rate holidays, a value-added tax cut, and the Kickstart system, which gives young people experience with jobs.

“We have not hesitated to work in innovative and effective ways to support jobs, and we will continue to do so while we recover from this crisis,” the spokesman added.

Coronavirus struck

The National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) hailed the coronavirus job retention plan in July as “an undeniable success in terms of keeping approved employees connected to their jobs”, as there were 9.5 million people at the time.

But employers planned to lay off more than 300,000 in June and July as the effects of the Corona virus continued to affect the economy.

Companies have I continued to take employees off the payroll And they are preparing for the end of the scheme.

Around 695,000 British workers have come off the UK corporate payroll since March.