Coronavirus: Agency workers 'go without pay for month'

Agency workers are facing financial hardship after not being paid for more than a month, a trade union has said.

Unite said about 300 people contracted through the Giant group were told they would be furloughed under the job retention scheme.

It said "mixed messages" meant workers did not know whether furlough applications had been made.

Giant said that it has started processing claims "ready for payment next week".

The agency said it had been seeking "clarity from both the Government and HMRC" on the job retention scheme, "but unfortunately this has not been forthcoming".

"There have been numerous updates to the guidance, and it is unfortunate that there remain some areas of uncertainty as to how the scheme applies to our, and other contingent workforces," it said.

'We are working hard to support our contingent workforce during these unprecedented times that has posed many challenges to businesses."

The scheme funds 80% of workers' wages up, to £2,500 a month.

Unite said many of the affected agency workers were on contracts for Rolls-Royce, which it is reported could cut 8,000 jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the aviation industry.

It said these workers were promised on 17 April they would be furloughed, but have not received any income.

Suzanne Moore, a regional coordinator for Unite, said the staff had been left "in the worst possible predicament".

"They have not received any wages for well over a month, which is causing financial hardship for their families and impacting on their mental health," she said.

Washington & Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson said she was "bitterly disappointed" with Giant.

She said: "As our country faces the biggest challenge in peacetime, it is unforgivable that companies are placing their workers in such financial difficulty."

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