Germany to extend coronavirus furlough to 24 months
by Philip Oltermann in Berlin from World news | The Guardian on (#571WW)
Angela Merkel backs proposal to continue kurzarbeit' part-time working scheme
Germany is expected to extend its pandemic furlough scheme to 24 months after Angela Merkel indicated she welcomed the proposal to let the kurzarbeit programme run on.
The chancellor's spokesperson said on Monday she was positively" inclined towards the suggestion to extend the scheme, which allows firms to put their staff on part-time work to reduce their cost. Britain's furlough scheme initially only allowed staff to be sent home and not work but staff have been allowed to work part-time since July.
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