Hearts players and staff have been asked to take aremarkable 50% wage cut as the coronavirus crisis bites. Zlatan Ibrahimovic launches €1m fundraiser "to kick coronavirus away" Read more The Tynecastle club’s owner, Ann Budge, has taken the cost-cutting steps amid financial fears and released a statement on Wednesday evening: “In order to try to prevent a staff redundancy programme and to protect as many jobs as possible, I am proposing to implement a club-wide salary reduction programme. “We have asked all full-time employees, managers, coaches, players and player back-room staff, with effect from the beginning of April, to accept a 50% cut in their monthly salary. “Staff and players alike, who feel unable or unwilling to accept this revision to their contracts, will, of course, be offered the option of contract termination.” In a remarkable statement, two more caveats were added: “No-one’s full-time salary will fall below the living wage,” continued Budge. “In other words, if the 50% reduction would take anyone’s salary below this threshold, the full-time salary will be set at £18,135. “Given the uncertainty of the whole situation with which we have been presented, we cannot say how long these measures will be in place. We will, of course, be continuously reviewing the situation.”