Airbus on Monday said it would furlough some 3,200 production and production-support workers at its aircraft wing production site in Broughton in Wales. The company has agreed with its employee unions to apply the UK government’s Job Retention Scheme, which pays 80 percent of wages, and “top up” salaries by another 5 percent to 10 percent.

While the furloughs do not include the company’s plant in Filton, UK, they will affect most of the company’s production-related employees in Broughton. The plan calls for staggered furlough periods; all start in the next three weeks and last for at least three weeks. 

A plan to cut production by a third across Airbus took effect on April 8. The cuts came in an effort to, in Airbus’s words, preserve the company’s ability to meet customer demand while protecting its ability to further adapt as the market evolves.

“The impact of this pandemic is unprecedented,” said Airbus chief executive officer Guillaume Faury. “At Airbus, protecting our people and supporting the fight against the virus are our chief priorities at this time. We are in constant dialogue with our customers and supply chain partners as we are all going through these difficult times together.”