Liverpool supporters union Spirit of Shankly pen open letter to club seeking answers over furlough decision
Liverpool supporters union Spirit of Shankly are seeking answers from the club over their decision to furlough some non-playing staff.
On Saturday, it was revealed that the Reds were the latest Premier League club to make use of government aid via the coronavirus job retention scheme that covers up to 80% of an individual's wages up to a limit of £2,500 per month, with Liverpool topping up the remaining 20% of the salaries of those affected.
Such an announcement has been subject to widespread criticism from fans and former players, with many questioning why a wealthy club whose most recent financial results showed a pre-tax profit of £42million should need to utilise such a scheme.
Spirit of Shankly hit back at any suggestion that they had refused to criticise Liverpool on Saturday night, confirming in a statement that they were contacting the club asking them to explain their position and reasoning.
The group's chair Joe Blott then penned an open letter to Liverpool CEO Peter Moore that was also published on the Spirit of Shankly website on Sunday afternoon.
"You will have seen the overwhelmingly negative fan reaction to the club’s announcement on Saturday stating their intention to furlough a number of employees," the letter read.
"We understand this is essentially an employee/employer issue, but as LFC’s recognised official supporter representatives, we are concerned about the damage this is causing to our club’s reputation and values.
"In light of your announcement and before SOS comment further, we would like to ask and seek answers the following..."
We have written to the Club today seeking answers following their announcement to furlough some staff.
You can read this here: https://t.co/DcJKpXlrCc— Spirit of Shankly (@spiritofshankly)
The letter then goes on to list several questions, including confirmation that the government scheme is being utilised and how many staff are affected and their specific roles and contracts.
Spirit of Shankly also ask if there are any staff not being furloughed that are being released from their positions and how long the request is for as well as enquiring as to who made the furlough decisio, how and why.
They are additionally looking to find out what other solutions were considered and what the cost will be to the taxpayer and the club during the furlough period.
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