Tui UK and Ireland is to reduce the working hours and pay of non-retail staff as measures to “ensure cash is preserved, costs are controlled, and the future of our business is protected” are introduced amid the coronavirus pandemic.
From 1 April, the company will make adjustments to the contractual hours of all other staff, which will be reviewed on a monthly basis.
Employees required to work (including all members of the UK and Ireland board of directors) will receive a 30% reduction in basic pay and contracted hours.
Staff required to work less than 50%, or not at all, will receive a 50% reduction in basic pay and contracted hours.
There will be no redundancies other than Tui’s already planned activity in retail and seasonal cabin crew, recruited for its summer season, who are no longer required.
“Our retail and contact centre advisors will continue look after customers who have had cancelled holidays and support them in rebooking or booking holidays for the future. They will therefore be unaffected by the changes, for as long it is safe to operate our stores,” said Tui in a statement.
The company added: “We understand that these temporary changes will be difficult, but our commitment to our colleagues is that we will maintain the minimum wage threshold of £17,098 UK / €19,804 ROI.”
Managing director Andrew Flintham added: “The travel industry is facing unprecedented pressure. We will continue to put the customer at the heart of what we do, and when they can holiday with us again we want to be in the best position to deliver the wide range of destinations and experiences we do today.
“It is therefore imperative that we make these difficult cost decisions and also look after our colleagues during such unprecedented uncertainty.
“Our airline and overseas teams continue to work around the clock to get people home from around the globe, even supporting customers who were not due to fly with us.
“Our customer teams have been helping in retail stores, on social media, through our contact centres, and employees from around the business have been welcoming home arrivals at airports.
“We are a fantastic business, and we look forward to taking people on holiday again soon.”