'Living Here Is Like Hell': How People In Manchester Feel About Reduced Furlough Wages
In late July, only weeks after the first coronavirus lockdown was lifted, Manchester was thrust straight back into a local lockdown where it has remained for the last three months. As university students returned to cities and punters were encouraged to drink in pubs, Greater Manchester and the wider North West has witnessed a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, finding itself one of the UK’s coronavirus hotspots.
Lockdown misery in Greater Manchester was compounded when, on Tuesday, the region was forced by the government to move into the Tier 3 category, a move which would see bars and pubs that don’t serve food, casinos and many non-essential shops close.
There’s other Whitehall decisions that are leaving people fearful. The National Furlough Scheme is set to be replaced with the new Job Retention Scheme at the end of this month – which would mean those out of work due to the virus would be paid only 67% of their wages compared with the 80% they were afforded when the country first went into lockdown. Many residents are worried this will only lead to more pain and suffering in the region, a point acknowledged by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham during a press conference taking place as news of Tier 3 broke. The Labour politician argued ”most people, myself included, on more middle income jobs, could live on two-thirds of their income”, but the lower paid could not.
For one 20-year-old hospitality worker, who preferred not to be named, having access to two-thirds of her wages means that she won’t be able to pay her bills. “I’ve been on furlough for six months,” she told HuffPost UK. “I’ve gone from earning £1,250 a month to £800 on the 80% furlough scheme. That’s a huge difference for me, it’s just enough to cover my bills, which come in at just under £790 every month.”
One of her main concerns is that the Tier 3 lockdown will last for an extended amount of time, mainly because of a turbulent home life. Her mother is suffering...
