FRONTLINE IN THE SPOTLIGHT: HOW AGENTS ARE DEALING WITH THE CRISIS
Kuoni’s Jenni Freeman has signed up to be an NHS volunteer
JENNI FREEMAN Kuoni, Dorking Jenni, a personal travel expert at Kuoni’s branch in Dorking, Surrey, was one of 70 staff made redundant by the operator – only for her job to be saved days later as a result of the government’s Coronavirus Job
Retention Scheme. I’ve worked for Kuoni since January last year. It had taken me a long time to find a job where I felt I really belonged. Two weeks ago, we had an email explaining our options, including a pay cut, unpaid leave or voluntary redundancy. It was a shock and brought home the seriousness of the situation. My manager came in crying. She said the company had to let go of everyone who had worked at Kuoni for less than two years. We all stood there in floods of tears. I was going to buy a house
this year. Then I started to think about how to pay my rent. It was
travelweekly.co.uk
Travel agents across the country have
found themselves in challenging situations following the government’s stay-at-home
order. Juliet Dennis, Harry Kemble and
Natalie Marsh spoke to several to find out how they are coping
devastating, but we all understood; no one was bitter or angry. Kuoni said they would pay me until the end of April, which they didn’t have to do. I was going to apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance, which is around £74 a week, and started looking for jobs to stack supermarket shelves. I was told as soon as it got back to normal, [Kuoni] would be knocking at my door, which was reassuring. That afternoon, I got a call from my manager asking if I wanted my job back! I burst into tears. I’m being furloughed for three months and I’ve put my name forward to be an NHS volunteer. I worked as a care assistant during a career break, so I can use this time off to do some good. I am also learning sign language; we have so many customers who are hard of hearing. It sounds clichéd, but Kuoni feels like my family, and it’s just the biggest relief to know I will be able to go back to my job once this is all over.
2 APRIL 2020
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