Latest STUC Update

From our colleagues at the STUC: 

As the Scottish Government’s focus on the economic impact of Covid-19 continues, we will be providing regular bulletins to signpost you to the latest sources of information. We hope that you will find this useful and share with your networks where appropriate.

• As the Scottish Government’s focus on the economic impact of Covid-19 continues, we will be providing regular bulletins to signpost you to the latest sources of information. We hope that you will find this useful and share with your networks where appropriate.

• Today’s media briefing was replaced by First Minister’s Questions. You can read a full transcript of the session here.

• Before taking questions, the First Minister gave an update on weekly Covid-19 statistics published by National Records of Scotland.

• Scottish Enterprise and partners have advised that the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund will reopen for new applications from mid-morning on Thursday 14 May 2020.  Full details are available here.

• Applications are now open for the UK Government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

• Advice for businesses and their employees is available athttps://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/

• There is an HMRC helpline for tax issues at 0800 015 9559.

• The NHS Inform webpage is the fastest way for people to get the latest health advice and information.

• Guidance for businesses looking to offer support for the ongoing effort to tackle the Covid-19 emergency can be found here.

Scottish Government announcements

• The death total, for those who have tested positive, has increased to 1,912. More accurate stats for all deaths, including those not tested and those in care homes, will be published tomorrow.  
• At her daily press briefing, the First Minister announced an additional £50m is being made available to help meet extra costs in the care sector and £31m to extend eligibility to the Small Business Grant scheme. She also called on all employers to follow Scottish government guidance and not encourage people to come back to work prematurely and said that if employees think their work is unsafe they have rights under law and they should talk to trade unions. She referred to work the Scottish Government is undertaking with employers and unions to develop guidance for fourteen different sectors of the economy in Scotland.
• Following BBC Scotland's Disclosure programme which highlighted an outbreak of coronavirus cases associated with an international Nike conference in Edinburgh, the First Minister defended the Scottish Government’s approach to dealing with this and said there were matters of patient confidentiality in highlighting specific places.
• The correct link for the new national wellbeing hub for health and care staff circulated yesterday is www.promis.scot

UK Government announcements

• Richi Sunak has announced that the Job retention scheme will be extended to October, but with some changes. Further details will be announced by the end of May, but it is understood that the scheme will continue unchanged until July, then between July and October employers will be able to re-employ workers and pay some of their salaries part time, with the government paying the rest up to 80%. The STUC have cautiously welcomed the announcement.
• Last night the UK Government published guidance for eight sectors on ‘Working Safely During Coronavirus’. The guidance applies to England. At her daily press briefing, Nicola Sturgeon referred to work the Scottish Government is undertaking with employers and unions to develop guidance for fourteen different sectors of the economy in Scotland.

Other News

• The Resolution Foundation has published a paper outlining options for taking a sectoral approach to evolving the Job Retention Scheme as restrictions on the economy begins to recover.
• Ryanair has said it's planning to reintroduce 40% of flights from 1 July, subject to travel restrictions being lifted and safety measures being brought in at airports.
• The National Trust for Scotland has said 429 staff are at risk of redundancy.

More from Scottish Trade Union Congress here https://www.stuc.org.uk