El Corte Inglés unveils a temporary layoff scheme and guarantees all employees’ full wages

The measure will be temporary and will initially last 14 days. It will not affect jobs, which will remain intact.

El Corte Inglés will make an extra financial effort to minimise the impact: it will supplement benefits so as to make sure that the 22,000 employees affected receive virtually their entire wages.

El Corte Inglés today submitted a temporary layoff scheme (ERTE) to the Spanish Labour Ministry, availing of measures allowed by the Spanish government and outlined in Royal Decree 463/2020, of 14 March, declaring a state of alarm due to the health crisis caused by Covid-19. El Corte Inglés is taking this measure because of force majeure to maintain jobs.

The layoffs are a temporary measure that will last 14 days as of the date of publication of the Royal Decree. Its final duration will depend on how long the state of alarm implemented in Spain lasts.

The temporary layoffs (ERTE for its Spanish in Spanish) affect a total of 22,000 employees. The company is committed to complementing the contributions made by the State to cover the entire wages.

The health alert has forced the Sfera fashion chain to stop operations due to force majeure. As a result, the company has also filed an ERTE affecting 2,000 employees.

This layoff is a temporary measure that will last 14 days as of the date of publication of the Royal Decree. Its final duration will depend on how long the state of alarm implemented in Spain lasts.

As in the case of El Corte Inglés, all workers affected will have their entire salary guaranteed, since the company will supplement the benefits they receive from the State.

The health scare has affected the entire tourism and travel industry. As a result, Viajes El Corte Inglés has also presented a temporary layoff scheme that will affect 1,900 employees. These professionals work at either the street-level offices or in the Group’s department stores.

The Viajes El Corte Inglés ERTE will begin on 26 March and run until and will continue until the end of the State health alert.

As in the cases of El Corte Inglés and Sfera, Viajes El Corte Inglés promises to make sure workers affected will receive almost 100% of their wages, as the company will supplement the benefits they receive from the State.