Call for furlough for Eurostar as France restricts travel

Transport and travel union TSSA is today calling for the government to reinstate access to the furlough scheme for Eurostar and other companies being hit by travel restrictions to France.

Following surging cases of the Omicron covid variant in Britain, the French government has announced that from Saturday all non-residents will have to give a compelling reason for travelling to France - tourism and non-urgent work do not qualify.

Reacting, TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes, said: “The government must bring back furlough to protect jobs at Eurostar and elsewhere as we suffer the effects of Omicron. 

“Measures to tackle the virus – such as travel restrictions – must come with financial support for businesses, including our travel trade, to prevent thousands of job losses.  

“Eurostar has already suffered from plummeting passenger numbers since the start of the pandemic, but as our only green link to Europe it must be a strategic priority for government to sustain the route. The government has refused to provide anything other than furlough support since the beginning of the pandemic. With this latest blow of travel restrictions to France, furlough is vital support and must be brought back immediately.”