Three agencies based in the northeast have stepped in to help out former Monster Travel staff, left unemployed by the company’s collapse yesterday.
As many as 94 staff are now out of a job and looking for work. Their search is made more desperate as some former employees claim they are owed thousands of pounds in unpaid wages and commission.
Nick Jackson, managing director of Beach People in Benton, North Tyneside, said he had already approached two Monster staff to join his team.
“We are only in a position to recruit one or two members of staff,” he said. “We’re not looking at recruiting vast amounts of staff, just quality employees.”
John Hays, owner of Hays Travel in Sunderland, said the company had positions to fill in both its retail and call-centre divisions but refused to say exactly how many.
“There’s some good staff at Monster; some of them used to work for Hays. We’ve have some vacancies but unfortunately not enough to take all of them on.”
Fizz Holidays is also hoping to recruit some of the staff and is urging them to get in contact by emailing info@fizzholidays.co.uk.
While there is hope that some Monster Travel employees will find work, Darren Phillips, owner of Darren Phillips Travel in South Shields, warned the jobs market for out-of-work travel agents is likely to get tougher.
“It is well into the summer season now and if you take anyone on, then you’ve got to keep them for the winter and it is not cost effective.
“After the next six weeks, the market will slow down. It is a bad time for it to happen and it seems strange that Monster Travel should go down in the middle of the summer as cashflow is normally at a premium this time of year.”
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