As part of our Reaching Out campaign Dorset Citizens Advice tell us how they are currently helping a local resident:
A woman was put on furlough by her employer. In April she should have been paid 80% of her normal pay, as this was the government arrangement. Instead she was paid 25%. She asked her employer why she only received 25%. She received no response from her employer.
In May, she received the correct amount, but did not receive an explanation about what happened in April.
At the end of May, she was given 48 hours notice to return to work. She could not return because she lived with someone who had a dangerous condition, whose life could be endangered by contact with COVID-19. The other person at home was extremely vulnerable. She tried to contact her employer by text and email to discuss her situation but received no response and no pay.
Frustrated, she eventually resigned.
The Citizens Advice caseworker is helping this client to calculate her losses and make a claim for them, and for “constructive” unfair dismissal (a legal term meaning that the employer broke the contract without actually telling the employee they were dismissed).
Help is available now
If you are struggling financially because of COVID-19, specialist advisers can help you with immediate problems and help plan for the longer term.
Call the Dorset Citizens Advice Adviceline on Freephone 0800 144 8848 or see more about the support available at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/reaching-out.
