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THE Scottish Government announced additional lockdown measures last week, but I am unsure what this means for me. Can you help?
ADDITIONAL restrictions were put in place across the majority of Scotland towards the end of 2020.
On January 13, further tightening of these restrictions was announced.
These were submitted to Parliament for approval and took effect on January 16.
Click and collect services have been restricted to “essential” shops and businesses, with other non-essential businesses having to close.
Additionally, collection of food and drink from takeaway establishments has been restricted and customers cannot enter takeaway premises for collection.
These businesses can still operate, with customers receiving their purchases externally from a collection hatch or doorway.
The consumption of alcohol has also been restricted and members of the public in areas at tier four or higher cannot legally drink alcohol outside.
Employers must allow workers to work from home if possible.
Construction work is not permitted inside a residential dwelling unless it is for the essential upkeep, maintenance, or to ensure continued functionality.
The final restriction imposed was the clarification that people can only leave home for essential purposes.
The emphasis is that no one can remain outside their home for a non-essential purpose, even if they originally left home for an essential one.
By staying home, avoiding unnecessary contact with others and following the rules, we can help reduce the spread of the virus.
You can keep up to date with the latest information and advice on coronavirusrelated topics by visiting coronavirusadvice.scot.
Keep safe and I hope this helps.
DURING the first lockdown, I was placed on
First, you should contact your employer if you feel that you are not being paid correctly to see if you can resolve the issue informally.
If you are unable to contact them, or disagree with what they say, the next step is to raise this as a formal grievance with them.
Your employer will probably have their own grievance process in place and usually this requires you to outline the grievance in writing.
In this case, you should state the fact that you do not believe you are being paid properly and request that the employer disclose how much HRMC paid to them for your furlough and how this was calculated.
Furlough is paid to employers by the Government at 80 per cent of your regular pay, prior to tax deductions (to a limit of £2500 per month).
The furlough pay is calculated by the employer based on your earning in the last pay before March 19, 2020, so it is worth checking your wage slip from around this time.
If the informal approach does not work and you feel that you have moved no further forward using a more formal grievance process, the next step is to begin a process known as “early conciliation” through ACAS, which can be done via their website.
If you would like more information on the process, you can contact Advice Direct Scotland for free on 0808 800 8060.