‘Sense of justice’ for Thomas Cook staff after redundancy pay judgement
Up to 1,500 former Thomas Cook workers are in line for awards of up to £4,200 after a tribunal found it failed to give the mandatory consultation notice before redundancies.
Instead staff at its London, Manchester and Peterborough offices lost their jobs almost immediately.
The company should have started consultation with the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) at least 45 days before.
Thomas Cook collapsed in September 2019.
The tribunal awarded the maximum of 90 days’ pay for affected employees, said the TSSA.
"I’m delighted for our members and all those who were failed by both Thomas Cook and the government. Our union has fought for our members at Thomas Cook all the way and this judgment shows we have been justified," said TSSA General secretary Manuel Cortes.
"Our members endured harsh treatment from the start, not only through the actions of the company but at the hands of a government which failed to step in to save this cornerstone of our high streets when it made perfect sense to do so."
The judgement does not include employees who worked at travel agency locations, who are subject to a separate tribunal.
"Unfortunately, time and again I see consultation obligations flouted in cases of insolvency, leaving staff unemployed at the drop of a hat. Such an approach should not go unchallenged. I hope the tribunal’s decision gives ex-employees of Thomas Cook some sense of justice," said Daniel Kindell, a partner at law firm Morrish, which assisted the union with the case.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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