Author Topic: Furlough  (Read 11546 times)

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Offline goldshirt*9

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Furlough
« on: November 24, 2020, 12:08:02 AM »
So this is the last week of furlough.
Was offered 2 weeks off to help the company, so I took it.
I could get used to this "not going work malarkey"


Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2020, 06:10:18 AM »
I assume you are doing this without pay?  It's nice to not have someone telling you what to do, but I can't stand not to be busy, so I'm always coming up with something to do.  How are you spending your time?  Are you puttering around the house?  Or catching up on some tv?

Offline smokester

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2020, 04:01:41 PM »
I assume you are doing this without pay?  It's nice to not have someone telling you what to do, but I can't stand not to be busy, so I'm always coming up with something to do.  How are you spending your time?  Are you puttering around the house?  Or catching up on some tv?

Originally everyone was getting 80% of their wage but that was only until October. I think it went down to 60% in the second furlough period. It also sounds like the 2 week gesture may be unpaid.
Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can put off until the day after.

There is an exception to every rule, apart from this one.

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2020, 11:15:32 PM »
I assume you are doing this without pay?

It also sounds like the 2 week gesture may be unpaid.

I'm daft, not stupid nor rich,  ;D ;D
I get paid 80% as per law and was asked and agreed to do 2 weeks only, as post December when they ask again, I can state I have done my bit to help a company who struggle to get work.
We are owned by Pcc and who is owned by Warren Buffett (net worth 85.9 billion USD).
« Last Edit: November 24, 2020, 11:20:25 PM by goldshirt*9 »

Offline dandrummerman

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2020, 10:58:03 AM »
We are owned by Pcc and who is owned by Warren Buffett (net worth 85.9 billion USD).

Now if only he could furlough himself,  that'd probably help the company survive a bit easier than 20% of your pay.

I am fortunate enough to not have been furloughed myself at all during the pandemic,  in fact i was just handed a 25$ grocery gift card by my boss for Thanksgiving (he does that yearly anyway).

Perhaps most people know what you do, but i don't.  What kind of work do you do?

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2020, 11:26:59 AM »
Aerospace / gar turbine engineering .
I am the last person to pass the part as sellable and stamp it off as usable according to the customers requirements / specifications.

Offline dandrummerman

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2020, 08:39:43 AM »
Ah that's cool.

I work at a job shop, we do mostly defense manufacturing, but nothing that leaves the ground. Small tank / other land systems components, mostly, with some naval stuff on occasion. We also service a few other industries, such as food processing. Currently making some parts for a supplier of Purina/Nestle.

I program and set up our CNC mills and oversee a few employees who make the parts. 3 and 4 axis work primarily.

Because the DOD labeled defense manufacturing as essential, we never had any time off even when the state shut everything else down for a time months ago. I suppose it was lucky; except there was a time when there was a boost of unemployment federally in which I could have been making just as much for sitting around doing nothing...

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2020, 09:12:58 AM »
thats cool, American company  PCC Airfoils own us.
Military wise its only Helicopter and plane parts atm. Although American Airforce has given us a 3 year contract
supplying parts for the Harrier as they dont trust the F-35s in desert warfare (something to do with sand  ;D ;D )
Same as your self we were classified as "essential" but in reality PCC wanted us open for sales although power turbine's such as Siemens did need us and thanked us for supplying vanes,

Offline smokester

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2020, 09:31:08 AM »
thats cool, American company  PCC Airfoils own us.
Military wise its only Helicopter and plane parts atm. Although American Airforce has given us a 3 year contract
supplying parts for the Harrier as they dont trust the F-35s in desert warfare (something to do with sand  ;D ;D )
Same as your self we were classified as "essential" but in reality PCC wanted us open for sales although power turbine's such as Siemens did need us and thanked us for supplying vanes,

I had to visit a new client today who lives opposite one of the Heathrow runways. D'you know what, I'd almost forgotten what a plane looked like up close and personal.

I really miss air travel.
Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can put off until the day after.

There is an exception to every rule, apart from this one.

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2020, 11:33:18 PM »
I had to visit a new client today who lives opposite one of the Heathrow runways. D'you know what, I'd almost forgotten what a plane looked like up close and personal.

I really miss air travel.

I live under East Midlands airport "stacking" system and the amount of planes we see WAS alot, funny how quick you forget what they look sound like

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #10 on: November 27, 2020, 05:36:42 AM »
I'm daft, not stupid nor rich,  ;D ;D
I get paid 80% as per law and was asked and agreed to do 2 weeks only, as post December when they ask again, I can state I have done my bit to help a company who struggle to get work.
We are owned by Pcc and who is owned by Warren Buffett (net worth 85.9 billion USD).

The UK must have good labor laws.  In the U.S., it's not at all unheard of for employers to demand that workers go without pay on furloughs, so none of this partial remuneration business applies, as much as it should.  Since the Reagan administration there has been a slow but steady erosion of workers rights and anti union activity among the ruling classes here.  It's really disturbing and the logical end point is the gig economy where little worker bees do everything while some guys who write software just skim the fat off the top.  Voilà:  two economic classes and a sick society. 

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #11 on: November 28, 2020, 12:14:36 AM »
workers have lost some of their rights here also, our main owner being American has tried and failed to impose their labour rights on us. If no work they just make people redundant expecting to re-employ when the work picks up and then suddenly find that the workers have jobs elsewhere.  :o
We have a certain skill factor you cannot just employ ( basically the workers can run old knackered machines that new people cannot).
We are a old Nation and accordingly our labour laws stem a long way back.

Offline smokester

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #12 on: November 28, 2020, 06:41:56 AM »
workers have lost some of their rights here also, our main owner being American has tried and failed to impose their labour rights on us. If no work they just make people redundant expecting to re-employ when the work picks up and then suddenly find that the workers have jobs elsewhere.  :o
We have a certain skill factor you cannot just employ ( basically the workers can run old knackered machines that new people cannot).
We are a old Nation and accordingly our labour laws stem a long way back.

I've always been left bemused at Trump's ability to sack people at will. I wondered if American employment law has such a thing as "unfair dismissal"?
Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can put off until the day after.

There is an exception to every rule, apart from this one.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #13 on: November 28, 2020, 06:57:15 AM »
They do, but it's nearly impossible to prove it.  In my experience, given any particular situation where facts are challenging to employers, they just make stuff up and lie as easily as they breathe.  It's disgraceful

And, goldie, that's normal, people being laid off and rehired.  But if you are laid off, you are eligible for unemployment insurance here.  It's a pittance, but enough to buy some food, at least.  Organized labor used to be a real force for workers' rights here, but since the 1980's the ruling classes have chipped away at them.  They have employed all kinds of PR to convince the very people they are hurting that they are operating in their best interests.  A very effective political sleight of hand.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2020, 07:01:36 AM by 6pairsofshoes »

Offline smokester

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2020, 07:18:37 AM »
They do, but it's nearly impossible to prove it.  In my experience, given any particular situation where facts are challenging to employers, they just make stuff up and lie as easily as they breathe.  It's disgraceful

But in some cases you have certain dismissals as world news. Surely it would be easy to defend if you haven't had the necessary verbal and written warnings beforehand.

The only way you could sack someone instantly and outright here (I think) would be for "gross misconduct". As goldie is a union rep he could clarify that but I'm sure you couldn't sack someone just for doing "a really bad job". You'd have to offer support first to improve their performance.
Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can put off until the day after.

There is an exception to every rule, apart from this one.

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2020, 12:02:28 AM »
But if you are laid off, you are eligible for unemployment insurance here.
unsure about insurance part, but here you can claim for government help (monies, which you may receive from various government allowances)

The only way you could sack someone instantly and outright here (I think) would be for "gross misconduct". As goldie is a union rep he could clarify that but I'm sure you couldn't sack someone just for doing "a really bad job". You'd have to offer support first to improve their performance.
True and we had had a few where i work
Again true, but this could also come under gross misconduct depending on what the results of "the bad job" outcome is,
i.e you kill someone
scrap off parts
the managers hate you (I have seen this as well)
but generally  management must ask why it happened and help you.




Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2020, 05:05:44 PM »
"unemployment insurance" is actually a payroll tax that employers who hire above a certain # of employees who work above a certain # of hours must pay to the state.

It's collected on a state by state basis and paid out to employees when they are laid off.  So it's actually a government program.

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2020, 11:15:10 PM »
Interesting.
we receive from the employer.
Redundancy payment
Notice pay (depends on time served of period of redundancy notice, employers hate this one)
Any monies owed (holidays left over)

From government
Normally a tax rebate at the end of the year (depending on new job / ay job)

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #18 on: November 30, 2020, 06:28:43 AM »
Executive Orders are only good so long as a successor does not overturn them.  Trump, being a racist jerk, made a hobby of undoing anything Obama did.  A neat continuance of his "birther" conspiracy hoax.  They are warming seats in Hell for that family.

In the U.S., some companies will give "severance" pay to employees whose positions are eliminated due to "downsizing" or other structural reorganizations.  That's paid by the employer.  There have been scandalous payouts to CEOs that range from stock options to cash payments in the hundreds of millions.   

To obtain Unemployment Insurance, you need to go to the relevant State agency with documentation verifying that you weren't outright fired and that the reason you are unemployed is not due to any fault of your own.  If eligible, you can receive benefits for a fixed period of time, but normally you have to prove you are actively looking for work during the benefit period to keep receiving the money.

Offline smokester

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #19 on: November 30, 2020, 03:24:23 PM »
I think that there may be a little confusion around "when". I think 6 means when they are in the state of being laid off (i.e. like dole/ social security/ universal benefit etc.) rather than when the act of being laid off occurs.

There is across the board a difference to how the employer/ employee relationship is seen on the two sides of the pond. In the US the employer has pretty much no obligation to the employee past paying them for doing a job. In the UK there is more of a social obligation on the employer, enforced by arcane rules.

On the "instant dismissal" thing - there is a difference between firing someone and removing a job title from them - a lot of the folk that the President can instantly remove are political appointees to a "title" and having that title removed doesn't remove the person from employment it just shuffles them around a bit, so the remover doesn't have to justify it. In the UK the now-untitled person may leave and claim "constructive dismissal", I guess the same could happen in the US but it is a bit more of a lottery.

Interestingly I have read that the current incumbent is introducing labo(u)r laws (executive orders: how did someone not see that executive orders are essentially untrammelled power, not subject to any checks or balances?) that make it illegal to fire a civil servant for political allegiance, whilst taking advantage of the current situation (where those laws are not yet in place) by busily firing folk that don't follow his ideology and stuffing all the posts that get freed up with his believers: thus making it quite difficult for his successor to recover the situation. It would have a bad look if his successor effectively passed a law (or repealed a law to have the same effect) that allowed people to be fired for their political allegiance, after all (even if what that really meant was restoring the status quo ante)

The thought of sacking anyone actually scares me. Not much else in the workplace does.
Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can put off until the day after.

There is an exception to every rule, apart from this one.

Offline smokester

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #20 on: December 01, 2020, 06:00:41 AM »
This is one of the primary reasons that I never considered starting up a company: the thought of firing someone bothers me so much that I couldn't see a way of safely hiring anyone.

I worked from September of 2016 until August of 2018 without a break because one guy just kept asking where we were working the following week even though everyone I employed were specific to a particular contract. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wanted a couple of weeks off and ended up getting to him to paint my flat so that I could finally sit down and relax at home. In the end he got the hump because a client kept changing her mind with what colour paint to use which would have stopped him working for a day or two, so he bailed and was never heard of again. I've been tempted to call him for some casual labour, but never get as far as pressing the button.

I suppose COVID has legitimised laying people off without fear of it getting to your conscience. Or has it compounded the issue?
Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can put off until the day after.

There is an exception to every rule, apart from this one.

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #21 on: December 01, 2020, 11:34:10 PM »
So have found out through the grape vine that our Company owners are now tightening the screw on workers pay.

One site ( make or made aircraft rivets) have demanded that the employees take a min of 20-30% pay drop to keep their jobs.
Another near Ilkeston are demanding 5-10% pay drop to keep their jobs.
Site where i am employed have a meeting PM today 02/12/20 to discuss a similar request, unsure exactly but rumour is forgo 2 year pay rise agreed / pay reduction / more redundancies on top of the redundancies we are still awaiting finalisation. But only rumours so will ignore for now.
Our HR kindling phones me and stated I could do Union business and come to work without pay as per the law, I kindly replied NO I wont be coming in as the management can wait until i am "re-employed and paid" to help sort out their problems next week.
Our work force is mainly of an age that most have 20 + years employment there and have finished their mortgages etc and could reduce their wage but hate the management and will eagerly take redundancy.
So companies are turning the screw in our sector to enable profits for the big boss.
We live in interesting times.
watch this space


Offline smokester

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #22 on: December 02, 2020, 02:40:04 AM »
So have found out through the grape vine that our Company owners are now tightening the screw on workers pay.

One site ( make or made aircraft rivets) have demanded that the employees take a min of 20-30% pay drop to keep their jobs.
Another near Ilkeston are demanding 5-10% pay drop to keep their jobs.
Site where i am employed have a meeting PM today 02/12/20 to discuss a similar request, unsure exactly but rumour is forgo 2 year pay rise agreed / pay reduction / more redundancies on top of the redundancies we are still awaiting finalisation. But only rumours so will ignore for now.
Our HR kindling phones me and stated I could do Union business and come to work without pay as per the law, I kindly replied NO I wont be coming in as the management can wait until i am "re-employed and paid" to help sort out their problems next week.
Our work force is mainly of an age that most have 20 + years employment there and have finished their mortgages etc and could reduce their wage but hate the management and will eagerly take redundancy.
So companies are turning the screw in our sector to enable profits for the big boss.
We live in interesting times.
watch this space

Illegitimi non carborundum.
Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can put off until the day after.

There is an exception to every rule, apart from this one.

Offline goldshirt*9

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Re: Furlough
« Reply #23 on: December 02, 2020, 11:21:57 PM »
Nowadays I try not to and it really pisses them off  ;D ;D