Thomas Cook staff face prison after court order to leave store
The court said the protesters, who are locked in a bitter row with the travel giant over redundancy terms, had to be out of the Dublin office by 7pm last night or potentially face jail today.
More than 40 staff, including two pregnant women, occupied the shop in Grafton Street, Dublin, after management announced the immediate closure of the company’s two offices in the city on Friday afternoon.
Caroline Cullen, a worker with Thomas Cook for eight years, said: “We need the Government to intervene now.” She was worried about the repercussions of the decision and appealed for the public to support them today.
“We’ve been told we’ll be arrested if we’re not out by 11am tomorrow,” the30-year-old said.
Earlier, around 150 people staged a rally in the heart of the capital in support of the workers as a hearing on the sit-in got under way at the Four Courts.
Dublin Lord Mayor Emer Costello, trade unionists and political parties are supporting the workers.
At the protest outside the Thomas Cook branch, Ms Costello, who knows some of the workers, said she found the situation heartbreaking for staff and their families.
“The people that are there in Thomas Cook have given a lifetime service to Thomas Cook and have been very loyal workers,” she said.
“I find it very disheartening that people have to go to those lengths to try and protect their jobs. It’s a very bad situation.
“I’m very disappointed that Thomas Cook feels it has to shut down its Irish operation.
“I think it’s an indication of the strength of feeling throughout the city that so many people would turn up on a Bank Holiday Monday to support the workers.
Chanting supporters packed the footpath outside the store, which had a large sheet draped across it with the words “fair redundancy for job losses” written across it.
Placards were held aloft with slogans such as “We sold tickets for the Titanic and now we’re sinking”.
Trade union chiefs from Mandate and Unite were also present.
Dun Laoighaire/Rathdown county councillor Richard Boyd Barrett, from the People Before Profit group, said the Government should step in.
Antoinette Shevlin, a worker with Thomas Cook for almost 10 years, said the staff were determined to fight for their rights.
“We’ve had people making collections and dropping money in,” the 36-year-old from Lucan said. “We’ve had food dropped in, little old ladies are coming along with scones.”
On Saturday the protest also spread to a Direct Holidays outlet – a Thomas Cook subsidiary – on Dublin’s Talbot Street.
Thomas Cook announced in May it was abandoning its high street operation in Ireland.
Some 77 jobs are being axed with the closure of the two Thomas Cook branches as well as a Direct Holidays outlet, although the latter is not due to shut untilthe end of the summer.
Thomas Cook has insisted it would maintain its Irish business at its back office and call centre operation in Parkwest, Dublin, with 70 positions beingretained.
The cuts will not affect operations in Northern Ireland.
The company said it brought forward the closure by a month to minimise disruption to customers.
Thomas Cook said it was offering five weeks pay per year of service as a redundancy package.
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