Unite: extend furlough scheme now or ‘redundancy floodgates will open’

Union calls for immediate government action to save workers and business from ‘cliff edge’

Len McCluskey is general secretary of Unite the Union
Union chief Len McCluskey calls for immediate government action to save workers and business from ‘cliff edge’
(Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Union leader Len McCluskey has requested an emergency meeting with Boris Johnson to plead the case for extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in order to prevent the “redundancy floodgates” from opening.

Today marks 45 days until the furlough scheme comes to an end - “the same amount of time that employers must give for notice of redundancy”, says the BBC.

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Mike Starling is the digital features editor at The Week, where he writes content and edits the Arts & Life and Sport website sections and the Food & Drink and Travel newsletters. He started his career in 2001 in Gloucestershire as a sports reporter and sub-editor and has held various roles as a writer and editor at news, travel and B2B publications. He has spoken at a number of sports business conferences and also worked as a consultant creating sports travel content for tourism boards. International experience includes spells living and working in Dubai, UAE; Brisbane, Australia; and Beirut, Lebanon.