In a statement issued on 20 March the BPIF said:
Leading trade body, the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF), today urgently called for further direct support for the printing industry during the coronavirus crisis. As the voice of one of the UK’s keymanufacturing industries (with a £14 billion turnover) the Federation reported unprecedented pressures on its members, the vast majority of whom are small and medium sized enterprises.
Central to the Federation’s lobbying efforts are a number of measures that it’s been asking the Government to implement:
These include:
– Extending Business Rates Relief beyond the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, in order to match the economic impact being felt more widely across UK business
– Widening of the key worker category to include skilled workers in key supply chains in the print and packaging sector
– Deferment of VAT, PAYE and NIC payments, direct support for companies and individuals to reduce and avoid the impact of layoffs, 6 months delay to the implementation of the increase in the National Minimum Wage
They are also calling for:
– Specific and immediate support and guidance for manufacturers, to lend confidence that employees can be retained and paid during the business downturn
– For companies having to consider lay-offs, said the BPIF, measures to help affected staff must be backed by Government. In addition to this, currently asking businesses to borrow, with an opaque and lengthy process likely to include Personal Guarantees is not sufficient
Charles Jarrold, British Printing Industries Federation CEO, comments:
“The impact of Covid-19 is equivalent to a natural disaster. Targeted and intense Government support to those businesses and individuals in need will minimise the biggest harms and enable our industry, and the economy, to recover more quickly once we are through the worst. This needs urgent and immediate action, we know Government are listening carefully to UK Industry and we hope the announcements later today will reflect our feedback.”
The BPIF have produced an analysis of Tuesday’s Government announcement and further detailed support for members available at www.britishprint.com/coronavirus . They will also be sending a Business Impact Survey to all their members on Monday 23 March. Please support us by contactingcoronahelp@bpif.org.uk
