Incisive Wipes 2% from Payroll Costs

Incisive Media, on of the debt laden b2b houses has told staff to take a weeks unpaid leave at Christmas. According to Press Gazette this will save £1m this year, implying that the total payroll costs are £52m. This initiative is to minimise redundancies according to UK CEO James Hanbury. The maths says the opportunity cost is 30 jobs. Like so many of these initiatives, whilst necessary, this approach does not address the fundamental change in the economic model that will be required for long term success.

On a technicality, Incisive are reducing pay each month as the mechanism to pay for this, so as to avoid a very small payment to staff at Christmas which is when the leave has to be taken. Deductions from pay require the permission of the staff. I doubt that many staff would say no under pressure to save their colleagues jobs but what if someone refused to give the company permission to make a payroll deduction? Does anybody know what the legal position of the Company and employee would be?