Statement made by Emma Hardy MP. Paragraph of interest regarding employment law: LOSING YOUR JOB If you’ve been made redundant from your company and they tell you it is because of the fact that it cannot afford to keep employing you because of damage to its business caused by the coronavirus pandemic, you have a number of rights and expectations about how much money you’ll receive. You’ll be entitled to a statutory payout if you’re an employee and you’ve been working at your current employer for two years or more. According to the law, this payout will be half a week’s pay for each year you were under the age of 22, one week’s pay for each year you worked if you’re aged between 22 and 40, and one and a half week’s pay for each year you were 41 or older. Your weekly redundancy payout will be capped at £525 and the maximum statutory payout is £15,750. However, it is reasonably likely that your company will present you with a package that exceeds this; the vast majority have their own bespoke redundancy policies. If you feel that coronavirus is not a truthful reason for laying you off and that you are actually being punished for taking time off or for something else, you could make a claim to an employment tribunal. However, you will have to make a claim within three months of your employment ending. If you’re on a zero-hours contract you can’t claim for unfair dismissal. If you don’t feel your redundancy payout can sustain you — and if your employer hasn’t restored you to the payroll after last Friday’s government wage payment (see above), you could be eligible for benefits. universal credit is available for those who are unemployed, aged at least 18, and have less than £16,000 in savings. Universal credit is a new government welfare scheme which combines lots of benefits into a single monthly payment. The government has a comprehensive guide, including a benefits calculator here which will tell you everything you need to know.  https://www.emmahardy.org.uk/2020/03/24/important-information-for-workers-during-covid-19/