tssa puts pressue on Thomas Cook

UNION officials are increasing the pressure on Thomas Cook UK to boost staff pay in line with their German counterparts.

The Transport Salaried Staff Association said it was happy to “raise the stakes further” following talks with Thomas Cook UK on Friday.

Staff in Germany were awarded a 2.4% pay rise this year. But UK employees will not receive an increase in 2002 because of the company’s financial situation.

TSSA negotiations officer Seyi Clement said: “We feel they are taking advantage of the legal system here because unlike Germany there is no obligation to give staff a pay rise. We’re prepared to have a back-loaded pay increase which means the company pays more next year.”

The TSSA said members had been forced to get second jobs – including stacking shelves – to supplement their income. It has not ruled out industrial action. A Thomas Cook spokeswoman said: “Other recognised unions support us. The feedback we’ve had from staff is they want to be part of our future and staff turnover is less than it’s been in years.”