Monarch staff to sue for compensation
Unite the union is taking legal action to secure government compensation for around 1,800 Monarch employees who lost their jobs when the company collapsed.
It will apply to an employment tribunal for statutory redundancy pay for its members, the majority of whom are cabin crew, maintenance staff and engineers.
Under UK law, firms with more than 100 employees must give a statutory minimum 45 days’ notice of their intention to make people redundant. Employees with two years of service or more are entitled to statutory redundancy pay.
A Unite spokesman said that it will lodge its claim with Monarch’s administrators, but that it will be up to an employment tribunal to decide whether staff are entitled to redundancy pay, a process that is likely to take around three months.
If the tribunal agrees staff are entitled to redundancy pay, it will be paid by the government, said a Unite spokesman.
He said the union could not say how much this was likely to cost the taxpayer.
Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said: "Through no fault of their own, former Monarch workers are out of pocket and out of a job.
"While, understandably, a lot of the focus is on passengers, Unite is determined to ensure that Monarch workers, who worked so hard to try and turn the airline around, are not left high and dry.
"That is why Unite is doing everything it can to assist former Monarch workers in securing new jobs, offering free legal advice and launching legal action to secure the compensation they are owed, as well as helping members find jobs with other airlines.
"The manner in which Monarch went into administration and the way the government allowed it happen means there is a strong claim for compensation by former Monarch workers.
"We would urge former Monarch workers to lodge their details with Unite to help ensure they get the financial compensation they are legally entitled to."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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