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Continued from page 36


Employment in all other sectors rose slightly by 0.1% in the same period. This was despite the fact that


the proportion of travel agency and accommodation businesses trading last summer rose from 43% in early July to 98% in late August. The proportion trading then fell back to 51% in November and by mid-January had fallen further to 37%. Travel and tourism


businesses also had a higher proportion of workers on furlough than other sectors, with 45% of staff across the travel industry on furlough in January but 72% on furlough in travel agencies and accommodation. That compared to 40% in the food and beverage sector and 12% in other industries. Separate ONS data


published at the end of last week recorded the impact of Covid-19 across the economy. It showed air transport turnover fell 89% year on year to December 2020, travel agent and tour operator turnover fell by 86%, and accommodation turnover was down 73%. The ONS found travel


and tourism-related sectors comprised eight of the 10 most-impacted by Covid-19. The only others sectors suffering contractions of a similar magnitude were rail transport (-64%) and domestic work (-51%). Tim Alderslade, chief


executive of Airlines UK, said: “It’s clear not all sectors of the economy have been affected in the same way, which is why it’s so important the sector receives economic support that recognises the particular impact the virus has had.”


Euro work permits are obstacle for UK ski staff


Ian Taylor


UK ski operators face significant problems seconding UK staff to work in the EU next winter despite a continuation of pre-Brexit social security arrangements. Obtaining work permits remains


the main obstacle, according to Charles Owen, director of the Seasonal Businesses in Travel group of more than 200 UK companies. Owen told Travel Weekly: “A UK


business that wants people to go over to France for a few weeks can keep


them on UK contracts and not pay social security in France or Germany. “The EU-UK trade deal gave


EU nations an opportunity up to January 31 to inform the commission they want to continue posting arrangements regarding social security. All EU nations have said they want that to continue. But social security is only one part of this. Work permits remain the biggest issue and the rules in every country for getting work permits are different.” Travel Weekly reported the


comments of French lawyer Stephane


Fressard of Armand-Chat & Associés last week, who said “secondment will continue as in the past” despite the EU Posted Workers Directive no longer applying to the UK. Fressard acknowledged UK


operators still need to obtain work permits for staff in the EU. But Owen spelled out the difficulties, saying: “In France, you need to advertise on an employment site for eight weeks, then fill in a 17-page form and send it to the local prefecture. It takes three to four months if it’s granted. “When you have a work permit,


then you need a visa. That takes another two weeks. The fact that the industry needs 8,000-10,000 of these [in France] means it’s not viable.” Owen said: “We continue to


Work permits for seasonal staff are the ‘biggest issue’


talk to the French government and authorities to try to find a resolution, and that is positive. But if there is no solution, it’s very problematic for UK ski firms.” He explained the sector needs “a friction-free way” to send 25,000 seasonal workers to the EU.


‘It is easier to sell in the EU if you set up base there’


UK firms selling package holidays in the EU do not need to establish a business in the EU to comply with the Package Travel Regulations post- Brexit, but it is a easier if they do. A leading industry lawyer in


Germany, Klaus Siebert of law firm Engels Siebert Rechtsanwalte, said last week: “You can start [work] as a non-EEA [European Economic


34 18 FEBRUARY 2021


Area] operator just with insolvency bonding.” He told an International Travel


Law Network conference: “You need only the insurance provider to be established in the EU and to follow the Package Travel Directive [PTD] rules. You don’t need your establishment to be in the EU. You need bonding and you need to honour the PTD. If you do that, you can sell across the EU. You don’t need to change your place of establishment.” However, Abta head of legal


services Simon Bunce told Travel Weekly that advice did not go far


enough, saying: “If you’re not an EU company you need to comply with the rules in every member state in which you sell. It might be the insurance policy that works for Germany also works for Austria, but you need to check. It’s specific and you need to check in every country.” He insisted: “If you have an


establishment in an EU country, you can sell anywhere in the EU as long as you comply with the insurance or bonding requirements in that country. You can establish [a base] and sell all over the EU or remain established in the UK and check with every state in which you sell.”


travelweekly.co.uk


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