- Huw Hughes
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Victoria Beckham has reversed her decision to furlough 30 employees of
her eponymous label after receiving heavy criticism for not paying them
from her own personal fortune.
In April, it was revealed that 30 of Beckham’s 120 staff were informed
they would be furloughed for a minimum of two months. The Coronavirus Job
Retention Scheme, announced in March, sees the government pay up to 80
percent of the salaries of furloughed employees, up to 2,500 pounds a
month.
Beckham, who has an estimated net worth of 335 million pounds, came
under fire for relying on the taxpayer to pay the wages of her furloughed
staff rather than her own pocket. The claim would have cost around 150,000
pounds in government funds.
“We will not now be drawing on the government furlough scheme,” Beckham
told the Guardian. “At the beginning of the lockdown the shareholders
agreed with senior management to furlough a small proportion of staff. At
that point we didn’t know how long the lockdown might last or its likely
impact on the business. The welfare of my team and our business means
everything to me.”
Photo courtesy of Victoria Beckham
