The government will pay workers’ wages after the chancellor announced a ‘coronavirus job retention scheme’. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said ‘for the first time in our history’ the government will step in and offer direct financial help for staff currently not working.
Organisations will be able to apply for a grant from HM Revenue and Customs to cover the wages of those who are not working, but haven’t lost their jobs.
The move is designed to protect both businesses and jobs. Mr Sunak said government grants would cover 80 per cent of the salary of retained workers, up to a total of £2,500 a month.
He said ‘any employer in the country, small or large, charitable or non-profit’ would qualify. The announcement was made as Prime Minister Boris