Thomas Cook staff could be in line for thousands in compensation
Thomas Cook staff could be eligible for thousands of pounds in compensation, on top of their statutory redundancy, according to a specialist employment law firm.
Simpson Millar solicitors says it has already helped staff at Monarch and BHS make ‘protective award’ claims for compensation of up to 90 days’ pay where an employer hasn’t followed the correct redundancy consultation process.
It’s only available to staff in a workplace with at least 20 staff, so could apply to staff at Thomas Cook’s head office in Peterborough, larger stores, and teams at Manchester, Gatwick and Leeds Bradford airports.
"When a company goes into compulsory liquidation, it’s often a surprise to employees and there are no consultation meetings leading up to this event. Where 20 or more employees are made redundant at a single place of work and there hasn’t been a consultation process to inform employees about their rights and the reasons for the redundancies, the employer has failed to undertake its legal duty to inform and consult," said the firm.
The payout would come from HM Government Insolvency Service and would be capped at 8 weeks’ pay, with a cap on the amount of weekly pay at £525 per week.
"We successfully represented employees at Monarch Airlines after its collapse in 2017, and we’re offering a free initial consultation to former employees of Thomas Cook," said Simpson Millar.
Claims will be handled on a no win, no fee basis and must be issued within three months less one day from the date of the redundancy.
More than Thomas Cook 9,000 staff across the UK were put immediately out of work when the company collapsed in the early hours of Monday.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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