Thomas Cook to close Birkenshaw office
Thomas Cook is to close its Birkenshaw office with the potential loss of almost 150 jobs.
Staff at the office – some of whom only recently transferred from nearby Bradford when that office closed in 2012 – were told of the decision yesterday.
Thomas Cook said the Birkenshaw premises would close by the end of January next year, but the proposal includes a phased approach.
The back office and support functions currently based in Birkenshaw will be transferred and migrated to Peterborough, or cease based on operational changes or possible outsourced, it said.
A minimum 45-day consultation with staff is planned, starting on Monday.
The company admitted some of the 147 roles based in Birkenshaw were at risk of redundancy due to the changing location.
The details on when any changes may occur and ultimately where each function will be located will form part of the consultation process., it said.
"Thomas Cook looked at several options as part of our location strategy review and today’s proposal is considered to be the most effective," said the company in a statement released today.
"As always, we will explore all options for those impacted by the proposals including possible relocation or redeployment opportunities," it added.
"As the affected roles are back office functions, customer service levels will not be affected by the phased transition of work to Peterborough."
Reto Wilhelm, managing director at Thomas Cook UK & Ireland said: "We’ve made a commitment to improve not only the profitability of the UK business, but also place the customer at the very heart of all we do.
"Today’s announcement is another important part of our strategy – further simplifying our processes and removing role and function duplication. We are confident that these changes will improve the service we offer to our customers.
"We fully appreciate the impact this decision will have on our Birkenshaw-based employees and are committed to doing everything that we can to support the team over the coming weeks should our proposals go ahead.
" I’d like to thank our colleagues at the Birkenshaw site for their professionalism as we now enter a period of consultation, during which we will explore all options with those individuals concerned including possible relocation or redeployment opportunities."
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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