Dons staff furloughed during coronavirus crisis

The coronavirus pandemic has forced MK Dons to 'furlough' their entire workforce, with the exception of the players.

Chairman Pete Winkelman said the impact on the entertainment industry, as well as in football has forced the decision. Included are not just Dons staff but the entire Stadium MK group, which includes hotel staff.

Furloughed workers are those who are unable to work due to the coronavirus because their places of work have been forced to close. They have not been made redundant.

The government will cover 80 per cent to workers who have been furloughed - a measure welcomed by Winkelman.

He said: "Since day one of the crisis, our absolute focus has been on protecting our fantastic staff and ensuring that, once this is all over, they have a job and a workplace to come back to.

"We therefore welcomed the recent intervention from the Government and their Job Retention Scheme. While we await full details, we are confident that this scheme will prove vital for the hotel and events side of our business and we trust that it will support football as well.

"A large number of businesses across the country, including football clubs, have begun furloughing staff. We can also confirm that, with the exception of the players, we have notified our workforce that they will be furloughed, while still receiving their full monthly pay for March.

We are hopeful that the Government’s scheme will enable us to maintain full employment across the whole Stadium MK group and ensure we can all get back to delivering our purpose within the Milton Keynes community as soon as possible."