SEVERAL members of staff at a popular cinema in York have been laid off, while other long term employees have seen their wages reduced dramatically.

Up to 25 workers at the City Screen cinema, in Coney Street, were reportedly given their marching orders on Thursday - a staff member told The Press.

And an email sent to employees by the company Cineworld, which owns the City Screen cinema and the cinema brand Picturehouse, said that staff would not receive any more shifts from March 20.

The letter states: “With the closure of all our cinemas in the UK, we need to inform you that as part of our measures to try to save the business given the serious difficulties that it is currently facing in light of the coronavirus pandemic, we will not be allocating you with any further shifts from 20th March.

“We are sorry to say that we will be terminating your employment by reason of redundancy with immediate effect from today, March 19.”

It is understood that staff who had worked at the site for under two years were made redundant, while those who had served the company for longer were offered a redundancy package, or to stay on for less pay.

One former employee, who did not want to be named, said that up to 25 staff members had just lost their jobs.

He added that staff members were "devastated and furious" at the company, which had previously told them on Tuesday - when the company decided to shut the cinema - that it would wait to see what further measures the government would take in order to help businesses.

On Friday, the government said it would be pay 80 per cent of wages for employees not working. 

The ex-employee said: “It’s left all of us feeling helpless. Thankfully I am financially okay for a while but I know single mothers who work there that haven’t a clue how to pay their next rent bills.

“Only in the new year we received a letter from Cineworld telling us how valued we were to the company. But now they’ve just dropped us.”

The letter to staff added: “Once again, I would like to reiterate that as we face these unprecedented times, we have needed to take these huge steps which I know will affect many."

A spokesman for Picturehouse cinema said: “Like other businesses in the retail industry we are facing an incredibly challenging time as a consequence of the global coronavirus pandemic.

“Following government guidance, we have taken the decision to close all our cinemas across the UK to protect the health and wellbeing of our employees and customers. We value our employees and want to do everything we can to support them in these difficult, uncertain times. Our aim has been to preserve jobs and continue to pay as many staff as possible while they are not working."