Disney executives are pushing back on the company's decision to temporarily cut their six-figure salaries just a day after 'non-essential' workers were told that they were being placed on furlough from April 19.

The grumblings about their five to 20 percent pay cuts have been branded 'selfish and sad' as many lesser-paid employees face weeks and even months furloughed as the Disney parks remain closed until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, Walt Disney Co. Executive Chairman Bob Iger announced he will forgo his entire multi-million dollar salary and other top executives will take pay cuts after parks closed and movie releases and production were put on hold, placing major financial strain on the company.

Executives are not happy with the cuts, the Hollywood Reporter claims, as they claim it is not voluntary, as suggested, and that Iger is not taking as much as a hit to his pay packet as them.

Cinderella Castle is seen at the end of an empty Main Street at Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park after it closed in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus disease. The closures have led to cutbacks in the company but executives are being to push back on drops in salary

The Millennium Falcon spaceship sits amid empty streets at Empty Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge inside Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. The company has been hit hard by park closures amid the coronavirus pandemic but executives are still unhappy about a paycut

An employee empties a garbage can in Disneyland Park as fears of unemployment and recession looms. Executives at the company have complained about cuts to their salary

Affected executives at the VP, senior VP and executive VP level are said to be upset at the amended contracts they were sent following the March 30 announcement, which sees them taking between a five percent and 20 percent paycut on their salaries.

The cuts are described as 'temporary' but there is no end date set and it is reported that they were given only two days to sign.

The new contracts are said to be voluntary but some believe that not signing them would affect their future in the company.

According to Hollywood Reporter, an executive at Disney can expect to earn between $150,000 and $200,000 in base pay while an executive VP can take home up to $700,000 a year depending on the department they work in.

Some employees have been offered shares in Disney to compensate for the pay cut.

Yet some executives are still said to be unhappy, despite Thursday's announcement that 'non-essential' U.S. workers in Disney are to be furloughed from April 19.

The furloughed staff will remain Disney employees throughout the period and the company will continue to support their healthcare.

An employee cleans the grounds behind the closed gates of Disneyland Park on the first day of the closure of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks as fear of the spread of coronavirus continue. Some Disney staff will now be furloughed from April 19

The devastating effects on the economy from the pandemic can be seen in Anaheim, California home to Disneyland, which is empty of cars. The company announced some staff will be furloughed on Thursday as the parks look set to remain closed for longer

They are also to continue to be paid until April 18 and have been given the option to take paid leave they have before the furlough period begins.

Those affected are believed to include staff at Disney Parks which closed in March.

The company said on March 28 that their parks would be closed for the foreseeable future as social distancing and stay in place guidelines were extended across the country for another few weeks.

'Much of the company has ground to a halt because of this pandemic, and for these people to complain in the face of so much suffering in the world is just incredibly selfish and sad,' a source told Hollywood Reporter of the executives' complaints.

The VPs frustrations are said to come from the millions of dollars that will still be received by Disney chairperson Bob Iger and company CEO Bob Chapek.

Iger, 69, said he will waive his entire salary after raking in a staggering $47.5million in the last fiscal year. In the 2018 fiscal year, Iger made $65.8million.

His base salary is $3million, but a cash bonus and stock awards helped raise his financial takeaways.

Iger, who was CEO for 15 years before taking on his current position in 2020, is worth an estimated $690 million.

CEO Chapek will take a 50 percent pay cut per his memo. His base salary is $2.5million, with an annual target bonus of $7.5million and an annual long-term incentive grant of $15million.

It's unclear if the 50 percent reduction will apply to his base salary or to his entire compensation.

Disney Chairperson Bob Iger is to wave his salary for the year as the company struggles

Disney CEO Bob Chapek has said he will take a 50 percent paycut amid the pandemic

Chapek said: 'The pandemic is also having a devastating impact on the global and U.S. economies, and it’s hitting businesses like ours particularly hard.

'In a matter of weeks, we’ve experienced widespread disruption across our company, with our domestic parks and hotels closed indefinitely, our cruise line suspended, our film and TV production halted and theatrical distribution delayed both domestically and internationally, and our retail stores shut down.

'While I am confident we will get through this challenging period together and emerge even stronger, we must take necessary steps to manage the short- and long-term financial impact on our company.'

Executives have complained, however, that most of Iger and Chapek's income will remain untouched by their recent acts.

Chapek's annual target bonus of $7.5 million and his annual long-term incentive grant is $15 million as well as the $44.5 million Iger earned in additional compensation in the most recent fiscal year are the main points of concern.

Iger's additional compensation directly relates to the success of the company in the year meaning it will also be affected by the coronavirus cutbacks.

He has also offered up his 'right to receive his car allowance payable during the same period the salary waiver is in effect' which would equate to the annual salary of a lower-level employee.

Disney has been hammered by the coronavirus, the effects of which some believe will be still felt in Hollywood in 18 months time.

As well as park closures, highly anticipated new releases such as 'Mulan' and 'Black Widow' have been pulled from their release dates and rescheduled, while a number of film productions have shut down — costing up to $350,000 a day per film.

The company warned its investors of potential economic downfalls in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, per The Hollywood Reporter.

'There has been a disruption in creation and availability of content we rely on for our various distribution paths, including most significantly the cancellation of certain sports events and the shutting down of production of most film and television content,' the company wrote.

Florida is set to be hit the hardest by the company's closures with an estimated one in 50 of the state's residents, and as many as six per cent of those working in surrounding central Florida, employed by Disney and it resorts.

One positive in Disney's back pocket is the streaming service Disney+, which apart from some program postponements - like Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - it is relatively unaffected.

Agency workers line up at The Orange County food bank to collect food that they will deliver to clients. The effects of the Disney shutdown have been felt the most in California and Florida

People line up for food at Colette's Children's Home ion Huntington Beach. The devastating affects on the economy from the Covid 19 pandemic can be seen in Anaheim, California home to Disneyland. Empty streets and closed hotels surround the world famous theme park

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week shot to a record 6.6 million - as layoffs increased because of the virus and more states enforcing stay-at-home orders.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose to 6.65 million in the week ending March 28, according to figures released by the Department of Labor on Thursday.

The number of first-time applications for jobless benefits was double the previous record of 3.3 million new claims filed for the week ending March 21.

It means that roughly 10 million Americans have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment in the two weeks that the coronavirus started rapidly spreading across the country.

Among the latest companies to announce changes because of the virus was General Electric, which said it was sending home half of its aviation unit's engine-manufacturing staff for a four week furlough, reports CNBC.

The decision impacts thousands of jobs at GE, as the company is also known, which had already said it would cut 10 per cent of its aviation unit, which affected roughly 2,600 workers.

Medical device maker Boston Scientific also said Thursday it was to cutting pay for many of its roughly 36,000 global employees by 20 per cent for the next 90 days, primarily due to the postponement of elective surgeries caused by the pandemic and its impact on the company's balance sheet.

Retailers including Macy's, Kohl's Corp and Gap Inc said on Monday they would furlough tens of thousands of employees as they prepare to keep stores shut for longer.

Meanwhile, three retail companies that were praised for saying they would continue paying their workers have come under fire after some employees have complained the claims were misleading, reports Buzz Feed.

Ann Taylor, American Eagle and Anthropologie all had announced they would continue paying workers in some way after shuttering their stores.

Workers said they received little or nothing after the chains cut their scheduled shifts before the closures and promise of continued pay were announced.