Staff urge Thomas Cook to meet union

Workers at Thomas Cook in Dublin are vowing to continue their sit-in protest and said they won't leave the store until the company agrees to negotiate a fairer redundancy deal.

Employees at the travel agent's Grafton Street outlet staged a lock-in yesterday morning after the company decided to shut down its Irish operation ahead of schedule with the loss of at least 77 jobs.

Thomas Cook said it brought forward the closure to minimise disruption to customers.

Staff are demanding that the company meet with their union, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association.

General Secretary of the TSSA, Jerry Doherty, said workers are simply looking for a fair severance package.