Coronavirus: Thousands of TfL workers to be furloughed from Monday
Thousands of London transport workers will be furloughed amid the “huge financial impact” of coronavirus, it has been announced.
Transport for London said about 7,000 bus, Tube and rail staff would be placed on the Government’s coronavirus rescue scheme from Monday.
It said the move, affecting 25 per cent of its workforce, would save £15.8 million every four weeks.
The furlough scheme sees the Treasury pay employees 80 per cent of their wages up to £2,500 a month to save them being laid off.
TfL said journeys across its Tube network had plummeted by 95 per cent and those on buses by 85 per cent since Britain entered lockdown and non-essential travel was banned.
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London’s Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown, MVO said: “The transport network is crucial in the fight to tackle coronavirus and it will play a similarly vital role in supporting the country’s economy as it recovers from the pandemic.
We have significantly cut our costs over recent years but nevertheless the success of encouraging the vast majority of people to stay at home has seen our main revenue, fares, reduce by 90 per cent.”
He added that talks with the Government for an “urgent agreement” to secure TfL’s financial future are “ongoing and constructive”.