THOUSANDS of Renfrewshire workers face an uncertain future after Chancellor Rishi Sunak resisted calls to extend the job retention scheme.

The UK Government has been paying the wages of furloughed staff during the coronavirus crisis but the scheme is now being tapered off and will end completely in October.

Opposition parties are calling for it to be extended for the hardest-hit sectors, warning that to do otherwise would be “a grave mistake.”

However, during a visit to Renfrewshire last week, Mr Sunak insisted the support, which has so far cost the government £34billion, cannot go on indefinitely.

The Chancellor, who met staff at the Inchinnan headquarters of generator manufacturers Peak Scientific, said ending the scheme is “one of the most difficult decisions” he has had to make during his time in the job.

He added: “I don’t think it’s fair to extend this indefinitely. It’s not fair to the people on it.

“We shouldn’t pretend there is, in every case, a job to go back to.”

Mr Sunak declined to extend the measure for sectors unable to return to work, such as the entertainment industry.

Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, said ending the scheme could mean many people will lose their job “unnecessarily.”

“Cutting the furlough scheme prematurely is a grave mistake,” he added.

“By removing this crucial support in the middle of a global pandemic, the Tories are increasing the risk of mass redundancies.”

The jobs retention scheme, however, is not the only programme aimed at boosting employment amid grim predictions for the economy.

The Chancellor has set out a “plan for jobs,” which includes measures to boost apprenticeships, stimulate eating out and a job retention bonus of £1,000 for every furloughed employee retained in January.

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