JJO puts 350 staff on furlough amid coronavirus lockdown

Lancashire-based kitchen, bedroom and bathroom manufacturer J&J Ormerod has furloughed all 350 members of staff and suspended manufacturing because of the ongoing coronavirus situation.

The decision was made following the introduction of new government restrictions on essential working in a bid to help stop the spread of the virus in the UK.

In a statement, the firm said it would pay all members of staff their April salaries in full and that it planned to resume production as soon as restrictions permit, in order to meet demand.

Speaking about the decision Stephen Greenhalgh managing director JJO said: “We are a family-run business and the members of the family all work within the business. We have many long-serving and loyal staff and we regard them as family too.

“We are an integral part of this community and our business is built around that and our workforce. We would like to reassure customers that, as and when we come out of this current situation, we will be fully stocked and ready to provide our customers with what they need as soon as the orders come in.”

  • The ‘furlough’ option is one open to employers under the Government’s new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It allows them to claim to cover wages for employees they have had to place on temporary leave as a result of the Covid-19 situation.The temporary scheme has been available to all UK employers for at least three months starting March 1.It also covers part-time staff and employees on agency contracts but does not apply to staff hired after February 28. Employers can claim for 80% of furloughed employees’ usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus employer National insurance contributions and minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contributions.The scheme is open to all UK employers that had started a payroll on or before February 28, 2020.

 

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