England
Premier League clubs have begun redefining their furlough scheme amid COVID-19
pandemic.
On Monday, Tottenham
reversed their decision to use the government’s furlough scheme, saying that
the non-playing staff will take home “100% of their pay for April and
May”.
This is
contrary to their March 31 announcement that 550 employees would take a 20% pay
cut in an attempt “to protect jobs”.
The club
said that only board members will now take salary reductions, including
chairman Daniel Levy.
“We
regret any concern caused during an anxious time and hope the work our
supporters will see us doing in the coming weeks, as our stadium takes on a
whole new purpose, will make them proud of their club,” said Levy.
This comes
as following supporters’ criticisms and the club hopes it strengthen back their
relationship.
“This
is the first step, but a big step, in restoring relations between fans and the
club,” the group added.
The club
added that, “With no clarity on when football might resume, and under what
conditions, we shall continue to keep this under ongoing review.”
“We are
acutely aware that many supporters were against the decision we made regarding
furloughing staff who could not carry out their jobs from home.”
“This
once again underlines that we bear different pressures to other businesses,
many of whom have and will continue to apply for support from the scheme as the
government intended,” read the statement in part.
Other
Premier League club like Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Norwich City have
announced they will furlough some non-playing staff.
Leaders
Liverpool have already reversed their decision to place some non-playing staff
on temporary leave and apologised to fans following a fierce backlash, reports
BBC sports.
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