Hundreds of jobless Thomas Cook workers plan to hold a demonstration at Conservative’s party conference on Monday due to the government’s failure to step in and save jobs.
The ex-staff, wearing their Thomas Cook uniforms, will be carrying banners with the messages: ‘Bankers bailed out, Thomas Cook kicked out’ and ‘Thomas Cook, Europe Flies, UK crashes’.
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has agreed to join the 10am protest together with council leader Richard Leese.
Workers were due to have received their monthly pay on Monday – the final day on the month.
But the Insolvency Service, which is dealing with the break-up of the company, has confirmed they will not be paid and will instead become creditors of Thomas Cook, the Unite union revealed.
It is now unclear when they will receive their pay.
The Thomas Cook workers directly blame the government for allowing the company to collapse into compulsory liquidation on Monday.
They are particularly angry that the profitable Thomas Cook airline was allowed to collapse, while the company’s airline subsidiaries in Germany, Scandinavia and Spain have been given assistance by their respective governments to protect the companies and safeguard jobs.
Unite regional secretary for the north-west, Ritchie James, said: “Thomas Cook workers feel let down and abandoned by the government.
“The protest will demonstrate to the government and the Conservative party the workers anger over the decisions that have been made and which have wrecked their livelihoods.”
Unite national officer for civil air transport, Oliver Richardson, added: “The workers who should have been paid today have received nothing and have to still somehow pay mortgages, rent, bills and food.
“While other European countries acted to preserve airlines, the UK government allowed the entire company to crash.”
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