Two brothers from the richest family in Britain have decided to furlough their staff, meaning that taxpayer money will be used to reimburse the employees’ wages.
The Hinduja brothers have a net worth of $27 billion (£22 billion) and are the owners of Optare.
With its headquarters in North Yorkshire, Optare is a transport company that produces buses. Despite being owned by the richest men in Britain, 360 employees were furloughed. According to the British government’s policies, their employees will be covered by the British taxpayers.
British politicians have spoke out against the brothers’ decision. Tory MP Peter Bone was one of the vocal detractors of the decision. In an interview with The Sun, Bone asked that the brothers rethink their decision, saying that the current plan is meant to help smaller businesses.
The request does not seem insensible, especially considering the great wealth of the brothers. For example, one of the brothers – Gopi Hinduja – resides in a property that is over £250 million that he purchased from the Royal family.
In 2014, the family purchased what was once the War Office Building. Using its history as a marketing point, the Hindujas have been renovating the space into a hotel. In any case, it does seem inappropriate that a family of such wealth are willing to take advantage of the situation.
The family’s wealth began with their patriarch who first started business in Mumbai. As you can see from the picture above, Optare is owned by Ashok Leyland which is one of the many brands that is owned by the Hinduja family.
Ashok Leyland issued a statement that tried to justify the furlough. The mother company said said that Optare was already in trouble regardless of the pandemic, and British jobs would have been lost anyways. It said that it was actually helping the workers by not firing them.
There are concerns that the British chancellor’s decision to support businesses during the pandemic is getting exploited by those with money. From Victoria Beckham to Jaime Oliver, wealthy individuals have furloughed their staff as the pandemic continues.
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Replaced!