Staffordshire firm Faurecia Interiors has confirmed that its workforce will be registered under the government’s job retention scheme following pressure from Unite, the UK and Ireland’s largest union.

Staff at the auto-interiors firm, which employs about 400 people at two sites at Fradley in Staffordshire as well as at other location across the UK, will now be able to receive 80 per cent of their wages from the government, Unite said today (Wednesday 8 April).

Unite welcomed the move by Faurecia, which had previously refused to comment on whether it was intending to register its workforce, and called on the firm to pay workers as normal until the government support comes through.

Unite regional officer Melvyn Palmer said: “Unite welcomes Faurecia’s decision to register its workers under the government’s job retention scheme. 

“Faurecia’s workforce will no doubt be relieved that they have one less thing to worry about during these troubling times.  

“Faurecia’s management must now pay workers as normal until the funds from the job retention scheme come through. 

“It is imperative that companies which are closed during the lockdown register their staff under the job retention scheme.  

“Employers must also communicate the fact that they are doing so to their workers, who will naturally be concerned about paying the bills and putting food on the table when the economy has ground to a halt.”