No Extension for Furlough Scheme for Travel Industry

Government have no plans to extend furlough scheme after October for the travel sector

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced in a BBC interview on Friday (August, 7th) that there will be no extension of the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme for travel employees unable to return to employment after the scheme ends in October.

The chancellor’s comments about the furlough scheme was not the news hoped for within the travel industry, one the the hardest hit sectors of COVID-19.

Chris Wright, Sunvil’s managing director, said in a tweet: “A furlough scheme that wasn’t much use to travel when front line staff were needed to process changes and refunds. Now when it is needed, they are taking it away.

“Travel – first to feel the impact, likely to be the last to recover. Sector specific support needed.”

Derek Jones, chief executive of Kuoni’s parent company Der Touristik UK, also tweeted in response to the news: “Disappointing but not unexpected… by not providing additional support Rishi Sunak is writing off the jobs of tens of thousands of travel industry sector workers.

“These are people I know. They are passionate, hard-working professionals who deserve much better than this.”

Phil Nuttall, owner of Travel Village in Blackpool, spoke out calling for an extended furlough period for the travel industry until January.

“We should be able to have all of our administration and finance people on furlough from 1 September to 31 January to keep this industry going through the winter because it’s going to be really tough for people”

“We’re not out of the woods and the industry has got a lot of pain to come.”

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