Dear Crew Member,
Over the past few days, many of you have reached out to us to share your disappointment
about the cancellation of your contract and the financial support provided by the company.
We sincerely understand and share this disappointment as we all have worked hard to be ready
for the season and bring wonder to our guests. Together we would have done an amazing job.
The hard reality is that the European River Cruise (following ERC) season is officially
suspended until end of June and, although we aim to operate in July, we must recognize there
is a chance we will not be able to operate this season at all.
Yesterday we had a constructive meeting with a group of crew representatives, with whom we
shared and discussed our reasoning for the cancellation, our outlook of the rest of the season
and why the company did not roll out the Short-term work program for its crew.
In the attached Frequently Asked Questions, we have tried to capture the key points that were
discussed. We want all of you to have a true and full understanding of the facts. We encourage
you to read it carefully and if you are still not sure about any aspect of the situation or if you
need any explanation clarified, we urge you to reach out to us (HR.hospitalityteam@scenic.eu)
or your crew representatives.
We are fully aware that our decision to cancel your seasonal contracts is heartfelt and impactful
for you and your families. These decisions were not easy decisions and are made with a heavy
heart.
We recognize that this affects the trust you have in us. At same time we do hope you understand
our reasoning behind these difficult decisions. We must ensure our ability to offer all of you your
jobs back once this pandemic recedes and we can resume normal operations with the confidence
that we can protect the safety and health of our guests and crew.
Although it may not feel like this at this moment, we want you to know that we strongly believe
you are at the core of our success, you are the ones that bring wonder to our guests, and we
would be extremely pleased to welcome you back on board when it is safe to do so.
We can only hope that solutions to the COIVD-19 crisis come fast and we can open our doors
and go back to what we all worked so hard for so long to achieve – a great experience for our
guests with the best of the best crew.
Together we will come out stronger!
Izdvojila sam i ovo -
Why did Scenic not roll-out the short-term work to its crew that held Swiss contracts?
There are several reasons for this. The main is that under the ‘short-term work program’ the
company still must carry the costs for the Pension fund, private health insurance, and compulsory
Swiss Social security contributions (OASI, UVI and accident insurance). Depending of the position
salary and family situation, this is a per person cost ranging from EUR 250 – 450. By law, the
company cannot waive these costs, even if the employee asked us to do so.
Although above is the main reason, we also recognized that our application for ‘short-term work’
was approved based upon the wrong submission. Our submission stated that our crew had active
seasonal contracts, but at that time all contracts had been cancelled. This could potentially create a
legal liability.
We also had to anticipate that COVID-19 might affect our business beyond the 2020 ERC season –
whether due to a lengthened shutdown order, a resurgence of the COVID-19 virus in the fall, or the
inability for the health industry to be able to come up with suitable treatments and/or vaccines. We
cannot take that level of risk to our finances. Again, we truly know this impacts you, our crew, in the
most difficult manner. But It is important that we not make decisions that can jeopardize the future
of a business that we all hope to be part of for many years to come.
7. Other cruise companies are paying their crew while Scenic is not – can you explain?
Every company, just like every person, is in a different situation, has a different outlook and
therefore makes different decisions. We cannot speak to what other companies are doing, their
plans or their ability to weather the long term affect the COVID-19 shut down may have on them. At
the end of the day, we try to make the right decisions for the future of the company we can with the
information we have – at that time.
8. When will the season start and should I wait on this?
For the moment, we have suspended our cruises until the end of June, and we are continuously
monitoring the situation. Although we are hoping to operate as of July, we must be realistic that with
the current restrictions in place and the many different governments involved, doing so is in doubt.
Unless some level of accurate screening exists for COVID-19 and consumer confidence to travel
comes at a faster pace than currently expected, we believe there is a chance the season could be
over before it started.
We cannot give you any guarantees at when cruising starts. Therefore, although we would love to
have you back on board, we advise you to make the necessary decisions and take the needed
steps to ensure you can financially take care of yourself and beloved ones during these uncertain
times. We will keep you informed as we learn more about what is possible and would greatly
appreciate if you would do the same to us – keep us updated on your own plans.
