Thomas Cook Airlines’ strike threat shifts to mid-summer
The threat of a strike by Thomas Cook Airlines’ cabin crew has receded until mid-summer as the airline has granted their union a further 28 days to give notice of any planned industrial action.
A representative union Unite said this gave them ‘more breathing space’ to hammer out an agreement with Thomas Cook.
Cabin crew voted three-to-one in favour of industrial action in a ballot which ended on May 25. Under normal rules, the union would have to give the company seven days’ notice of a strike within 28 days of the ballot result, but Thomas Cook has agreed to extend the notice period for a further 28 days following talks through the mediation service Acas.
"We now have a good chunk of time to thrash out an agreement," said the Unite spokesman.
He said talks with Thomas Cook Airlines management, which took place last Friday and Tuesday at Acas ‘seem to be progressing in a positive manner’.
Cabin crew want an additional 20-minute rest break every shift of 11 hours 59 minutes. At the moment, they say they only get one break, which is the minimum recommended by the Civil Aviation Authority, said Unite.
It claimed their workload had increased since Thomas Cook had removed one crew member two years ago. "This is something we have been trying to engage with management about for 10 to 12 months, but we got nowhere until members decided to call a strike ballot," said the spokesman.
"However, it is not our intention to disrupt people’s holidays. At the moment, we are focusing on the talks and we are hoping we can reach an agreement with management."
Thomas Cook Airlines confirmed it had agreed ‘a longer period of negotiation’ with Unite. A spokesman said: "As part of this agreement, Unite has committed that cabin crew will not strike whilst these negotiations are ongoing.
"Happily, this means all our customers can go on holiday as planned over the half term break. We are pleased to have reached this point and look forward to further constructive talks over the coming weeks."
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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