West Brom chief Mark Jenkins takes 100 per cent pay cut and warns club are ready to furlough staff if lockdown continues

WEST BROM chief Mark Jenkins has taken a 100 per cent pay cut and warned the club are ready to furlough staff if lockdown continues.

The Baggies have pledged that no furloughed staff will suffer a reduction in pay amid the coronavirus crisis.

Baggies Chief executive Mark Jenkins has taken a 100 per cent pay cutCredit: Getty – Contributor

English football has been suspended indefinitely, with coronavirus continuing to sweep across the nation with devastating consequences.

And Jenkins has revealed he will go unpaid while the country is on lockdown.

In a statement on West Brom’s website, Jenkins said: “At the moment, the Club is financially stable and remains so for the foreseeable future.

“What we do know for fact is that our operations are almost completely closed down and we are receiving virtually no income.
“Almost all of the Club’s usual costs still need to be paid, the majority of which are wages whether this be admin staff, maintenance teams, management or, of course, the first-team players.

“With that in mind, I think it is only correct that for the duration of this lockdown I take a 100 per cent cut in my salary and other members of the senior management team have also offered to take significant reductions in their remuneration.

“Like many other clubs we have considered using a furlough approach with non-playing staff who are now unable to work owing to the lock-down and we have made plans for this eventuality.

“At present we have not been required to sanction this action, but if the lockdown continues and football remains ‘on-hold’ then this decision may have to be changed.

“What we will pledge is to ensure none of the staff effected suffer a reduction in pay, the Club will make up the 20 per cent shortfall not covered by the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.”

Players are resisting demands from Premier League and club chiefs to accept an across-the-board wage cut of up to 30 per cent.

Prem chiefs and club executives thought that players were ready to buy into their proposal for a wage cut or deferral of up to 30 per cent designed to stave off financial meltdown.

But they were told by players that they want to help the NHS rather than rich owners.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe and other senior figures at the club, along with Brighton head coach Graham Potter and equivalent top staff at the Amex, have all taken substantial reductions in pay.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk