Voluntary pay cuts for Pendragon management
Car dealership group Pendragon has introduced voluntary pay reductions in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Board members and senior leadership salary reductions are up to 20 per cent and in order to support frontline medical workers, the company will be donating the 20 per cent reduction in the salary of chief executive Bill Berman to the NHS at his request.
The group includes Evans Halshaw and Stratstone. There are Evans Halshaw dealerships in Shrewsbury, Stourbridge, Walsall, Worfield and Wolverhampton, and Stratstone sites in Wolverhampton.
The company said Covid-19 was impacting all Pendragon owned companies with many operations closed or severely reduced in each of these businesses.
On March 24 the company closed all of its dealership sales showrooms in accordance with Government regulation. It is currently operating with a reduced workforce at select dealerships to allow for the maintenance and repair of emergency service vehicles and those of frontline workers only. The required closure period will be re-evaluated on Monday, April 13
It is now furloughing more than 80 per cent of UK operating and staff employees for a 21-day period.
The salary reduction for upper management is up to 15 per cent and for other corporate and field support personnel it is up to 10 per cent.
Mr Berman was named chief executive of Pendragon in February and at his direction the company is donating 20,000 disposable seat covers to local health trusts and offering 25 per cent off to all first responders and frontline workers for any maintenance or warranty work needed on their vehicles through the end of April at all operating Pendragon service centre locations.
“My priority has been and will continue to be, the safety and wellbeing of our associates, customers and partners in the communities we serve throughout the United Kingdom.
“Supporting our first responders and frontline workers must be our priority as residents and citizens of this great country. Each day the men and women of the NHS put themselves in harm’s way in order to save the lives of people they have never met. Every little bit we can do to help the NHS will make a difference,” said Mr Berman.
