Blog

Many employers and employees have been dependent upon the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, commonly known as “the Furlough Scheme” since it began in April this year. With the Furlough Scheme ending on 31st October and longer term Covid-19 restrictions being announced by both the UK and Scottish Governments, employers and employees are anxious to understand the new Job Support Scheme announced by the UK Government which begins on 1st November and will run for six months.

SSE is one of Perth's largest employers, with approximately 2,000 members of staff. The recent merger with Ovo Energy has prompted concerns about the effects of the merger on unemployment in Perth, with the announcement of potential job losses and redundancies. Around 80% of the job losses will come from the SSE business, with the company expecting 1,000 jobs to be lost in Scotland. SSE has not yet confirmed the precise number of job losses affecting Perth.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been a life saviour for many businesses and without it many would not still be trading today. However now that the Government has made its long awaited announcement about the winding down of the furlough scheme, many businesses will be looking towards their future capacity, their workforce requirements, and will be putting in place their redundancy plans.

It is good news for those waiting to move forward with general court cases such as building disputes or debt actions, as non-emergency civil cases start to get the green light to be dealt with by conference call. Throughout the current pandemic, the Sheriff Principal of Tayside, Central and Fife has been keeping practitioners up to date with plans for the operation of the Sheriff Courts in relation to civil business.