One of Highland Perthshire ’s biggest employers is proposing to make dozens of its staff redundant due to the COVID-19 pandemic - or risk going out of business before the end of the year.
Forty-two staff at Pitlochry Festival Theatre could lose their job as the theatre searches for ways to keep itself sustainable.
Artistic director Elizabeth Newman said the proposal was “heartbreaking” but warned the theatre would run out of money in November if drastic action is not taken.
Family of tragic Perth man open up on their heartache a year on from his death
The decision follows an announcement about changes in the jobs retention scheme by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
From August employers will be told to make a bigger contribution to furloughed staff’s pay.
Gym manager left "devastated" by council decision but vows to fight on
It is proposed 13 full-time staff and four part-time staff in roles key to resuming business once audiences can return.
They would also produce output for the theatre while the lockdown continues.
Perth musician's debut album charts his own battle with mental health
Elizabeth told the Perthshire Advertiser : “It’s a really difficult time, the hardest the theatre has ever faced in its history.
“What we are doing is trying to keep the organisation solvent and sustainable so we can regrow at the other end.”
Read more in Tuesday’s Perthshire Advertiser.
