It is 50% – not 5%

THE EDITOR: Sometimes a small “0” omission can create not only a bad public example but a very offensive corporate social responsibility portrayal.

Your reporter has done this in an article, “No trade, less pay,” in Newsday’s April 2 publication.

It innocently misquoted our CEO Gary Aboud and it makes our beloved Mode Alive look like terrible misers, horrible cheapskates who are demeaning and offensive and I assure you we are not.

I never said five per cent. I said 50 per cent salary will be paid for those with one week to six months’ service, 60 per cent for those with six months to one year and 66 per cent for all over one year.

The article also omitted the $25,000 in the first-instance emergency fund for any of the 100 team members who may need special support if they contract covid19.

Mode Alive encourages all businesses to make the sacrifice to protect their team members as a top priority. It would be wrong to say we’re paying five per cent because as business leaders it is a poor example of our corporate social responsibility in this, our darkest hour of national sacrifice.

GARY ABOUD

via e-mail