Virgin Atlantic | Can employees be forced to take unpaid time off?

During this turbulent and uncertain period of time, where coronavirus has gripped the world, many employers and employees are unsure of what measures to follow, particularly when it comes to paid sick leave and travel.

Despite these concerns, Virgin Atlantic staff have been told to take eight weeks of unpaid leave over the next three months, to help the airline cope during the coronavirus pandemic, reported Sky News.

Virgin Atlantic is one of many businesses to have brought in new measures to cope with the decline in passenger demand, which has been due to global travel restrictions put in place to help prevent the spread of disease.

Bosses also revealed that the cost would be spread over six months’ salary to ‘drastically reduce costs without job losses’.