The NI Executive today announced a further relaxation of the lockdown measures for the hospitality sector. Coming on the back of the the reopening of shops and the housing market, this is welcome news.
Further information on today’s announcement is provided below.
HMRC has provided an important update on how “flexible furloughing” will work. You can bring back workers on a part-time basis and there is further information on this included in the update.
The third in our series of popular Employment Webinars takes place on Thursday and this week’s theme is “How Flexible Working Can Work For Your Business.”
You can register for this webinar, please find further details below.
I hope you find these updates of value. If you have any queries which you can’t get answered, let us know. If I can, I will cover them in our next update.
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colm@newrychamber.com
Colm Shannon,
Chief Executive Officer
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade
POSITIVE STEP ON HOSPITALITY & TOURISM
Newry Chamber has welcomed today’s announcement from the NI Executive to bring forward the reopening of the Hospitality & Tourism sectors.
Colm Shannon, CEO of Newry Chamber said:
“Tourism & Hospitality are important parts of the Greater Newry Area economy. Today’s announcement, coming on the back of the reopening of shops and the housing market, is a further boost for our local economy.”
“We recognise that our economy must reopen in a way that protects public health and we hope as the public health position continues to improve, that it will be possible to move from 2m social distancing to 1m. A move to 1m, when it is safe to do so, will ensure our hospitality industry can operate on a more sustainable basis.”
The announcement today by the NI Executive will mean:
Restaurants, Cafés and Coffee Shops
Can reopen from 3rd July 2020.
Pubs and Bars
Can reopen from 3rd July 2020 to provide substantial meals with the serving of alcohol being ancillary to this.
Pubs and Bars with Outdoor Spaces
Can sell alcohol, on a table serving basis, in these spaces.
Hotels
Can reopen from 3rd July 2020 for accommodation. Hotel restaurants will be permitted to reopen. Hotel bars will be restricted to the provision of substantial meals with the serving of alcohol being ancillary to this.
As with pubs and bars, hotels with outdoor spaces would be permitted to sell alcohol in these spaces.
Spas and leisure facilities within hotels will not be permitted to open at this stage and will open in line with relaxation of restrictions on the wider spa and leisure sector.
Caravan Parks, Holiday Lets and Self-Catering Accommodation
Can reopen from 26th June 2020.
FLEXIBLE FURLOUGH & CHANGES TO THE FURLOUGH SCHEME
HMRC has provided an update on how flexible furloughing will work.
JULY:
From Wed 1st July 2020, flexible furloughing begins and employers can bring furloughed employees back to work for any amount of time and any shift pattern.
If an employer chooses to bring back staff part-time, they will be responsible for paying this proportion of their wages, while still being able to claim CJRS grant for the hours not worked. Flexible furloughing continues until the scheme closes.
Also, from Wed 1st July 2020, the number of employees an employer can claim for in any claim period cannot exceed the maximum number they have claimed for under any single previous claim under the current scheme.
So, for example, if an employer had made three claims prior to Wed 1st July 2020, for 12, 24 and 20 employees, the maximum number they could claim for in any claim period following Wed 1st July 2020 would be 24, as this is the largest previous claim.
Fri 31st July 2020 is also the last day that employers can submit claims for staff who are furloughed before Tues 30th June 2020.
AUGUST:
From Sat 1st August 2020, the level of grant contributed by the government will be reduced each month until the scheme ends in October. For August, the government will pay 80 per cent of wages up to a cap of £2,500 for the hours an employee is on furlough. Employers will pay National Insurance Contributions (NICs) & Pension Contributions for the hours the employee is on furlough.
SEPTEMBER:
For September, the government will pay 70 per cent of wages up to a cap of £2,187.50 for the hours the employee is on furlough. Employers now top up 10 per cent of an employee’s wages (to ensure they receive 80 per cent of their wages up to a cap of £2,500) for the time they are furloughed.
Employers will pay National Insurance Contributions (NICs) & Pension Contributions for the hours the employee is on furlough.
OCTOBER:
For October, the government will pay 60 per cent of wages up to a cap of £1,875 for the hours the employee is on furlough. Employers now top up 20 per cent of an employee’s wages (to ensure they receive 80 per cent of their wages up to a cap of £2,500) for the time they are furloughed.
Employers will pay National Insurance Contributions (NICs) & Pension Contributions for the hours the employee is on furlough.
THE FURLOUGH SCHEME WILL CLOSE ON 31ST OCTOBER 2020.
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
NEWRY CHAMBER EMPLOYMENT WEBINAR 3
“How Flexible Working Can Work For Your Business”
DATE: Thursday 18th June 2020
TIME: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Join us for this webinar with:
Emma Mullen-Marmion – Head of HR & People Services, EMerald HR
The benefits of flexible working are far-reaching for your company and your people.
By enabling more people to design flexible ways of working that suit their lifestyles and the needs of the business, you will not only enhance productivity and wellbeing, reduce absenteeism and increase retention but also become more competitive, save money and increase profitability.
This webinar will focus on:
- An introduction to flexible working, the law and the company’s policy.
- The benefits and why flexible working is important for the business.
- What flexibility can look like and how it works.
- How to empower a team to adopt a flexible culture.
- How to manage, include and engage with colleagues working flexible.
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE.