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Staff at the huge national cinema chain Cineworld say many of them have lost their jobs or had their pay docked by 60% after the company shut its movie houses due to the coronavirus emergency.

The newly formed Cineworld Action Group is fighting for what is sees as a fair deal for the chain’s 12,000 º£½ÇÊÓƵ workers, most of whom, they say are uncertain where their next pay packet is coming from.

Group members said anyone who had been employed by the company for less than 18 months was sent home on “furlough” and told to apply for 80% of their pay under the Government’s new Job Retention Scheme, until the cinemas can reopen.

Those employed for between 18 months and three years have been made redundant, the group said, and long-term workers have had pay stripped back to 40% of their salary.

Cineworld is the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s largest cinema chain by market share and has 99 multiplexes, with an additional 26 “boutique” Picturehouse cinemas.

An action group spokesperson said Cineworld had ditched 80% of the workforce, all barring managers being on zero-hours contracts, as soon as it became evident they were going to have to close.

Cineworld chief executive Mooky Greidinger wrote to all staff members saying the firm is looking at the implications of the Job Retention Scheme, and the firm now says it is “ reviewing this and assessing what help we are able to give” workers.

But staff are still angry and 550 have already signed an open letter to Mr Greidinger and the action group has opened a Twitter page.