LONDON (AP) — Business leaders and unions have joined forces to urge the British government to maintain a salary subsidy program that is being wound down over the coming months. Or else they say unemployment will rise sharply. The Job Retention Scheme was introduced at the start of the pandemic last March to ensure unemployment did not rise substantially when lockdown restrictions were imposed. Under the program, the government paid 80% of the salaries of those workers unable to work because of lockdown measures. That support started to be phased out Thursday with companies with staff still on furlough having to pick up 10% of the bill. Further tapering is due over coming months before the program is due to end in September.
