Petition · past parliament
Include people who started a new job in March in the furlough scheme.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
We call on the government to extend the furlough scheme to those who started new jobs in March and who are currently being left unemployed due to shutdowns caused be Coronavirus.
The UK government has announced that people who would lose their jobs due to the Coronavirus will be paid up to 80% of their salary under the furlough scheme.
However, guidelines state you needed to be on payroll in February.
Many thousands of people started new jobs in March and are not eligible.
The UK government must honour the contracts of people who started jobs in March & extend the furlough scheme to cover all employees.
Other countries such as Spain have done this to protect citizens.
However, guidelines state you needed to be on payroll in February.
Many thousands of people started new jobs in March and are not eligible.
The UK government must honour the contracts of people who started jobs in March & extend the furlough scheme to cover all employees.
Other countries such as Spain have done this to protect citizens.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Change the Furlough Support Scheme to include new hires after 28th February.
You can find out about what Government support is available for people as a result of coronavirus (under the section on employment and financial support) here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
You can find out about what Government support is available for people as a result of coronavirus (under the section on employment and financial support) here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
Timeline
| 30 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 16 Apr 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
16 Apr 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.