Hays Travel has furloughed most of its workforce following the announcement of the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

In a statement, the company said: “The majority of our staff other than key workers are now furloughed with government support and we are feeling more confident about safeguarding these jobs.”

Last year, Hays Travel took on 2,300 former Thomas Cook staff after taking over the leases to all 553 of its shops following the travel giant’s collapse in September 2019.

It also recruited 200 additional staff for its head office in Sunderland. Of its 5,700 staff, 2,500 work in retail across 650 branches in the UK.

The company said it had taken “all measures available to protect our industry and jobs”.

Under the coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers with a PAYE scheme will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis.

This applies to employees who have been asked to stop working, but are being kept on the payroll, otherwise described as ‘furloughed workers’.

HMRC will reimburse 80 per cent of their wages, up to £2,500 per month in an effort to safeguard workers from being made redundant.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to 1 March and is initially open for three months, but will be extended if necessary.

To view the latest government advice on the coronavirus, officially known as covid-19, visit gov.uk.

Our view:

The cruise industry is facing an unprecedented and ever-changing situation, and we are committed to keeping you informed with the most up-to-date news. However, we firmly believe that the cruise industry will bounce back. When it does, we’ll be on hand to help you get back to selling the cruises that people love.