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Battering Ram Justice for Thomas Cook Workers

05/08/09

Union representatives today [Wednesday] travelled to London for negotiations with the management of Thomas Cook thanks to the determined action of the workers who occupied the company’s Dublin store.

The workers barricaded themselves inside Thomas Cook’s Grafton Street outlet on Friday [July 31] after being informed they were to be laid off with immediate effect. The staff are seeking eight weeks’ redundancy pay for every year they have worked at the company.

The response from the multi-national and the Twenty-Six County state was quick and brutal.

Thomas Cook turned to the courts, who dutifully obliged the company by granting an order for the arrest of the workers. The order was duly carried out in a dawn raid by dozens of Gardaí yesterday [Tuesday].

The Guardians of the Peace erected barricades and used battering rams to smash down the doors of the offices to arrest the workers, including a heavily-pregnant woman, who subsequently gave birth under police guard in a Dublin hospital.

The rest of the employees were taken to Bridewell Garda station for questioning, before transfer to the Four Courts for sentencing.

Over 200 supporters of the workers, including many éirígí activists, attended a protest rally to coincide with the court appearance.

In the court, judge Michael Peart released the workers after it was revealed that Thomas Cook had agreed to commence negotiations with representatives of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association.

Speaking after the protest rally, éirígí chairperson Brian Leeson commended the workers and urged union representatives to take a firm line with Thomas Cook.

“These workers have been treated abominably by Thomas Cook,” Brian said.

“This is a company that recorded profits of €400 million last year and paid its CEO, Manny Fontenla Novoa, a £5 million bonus on top of an £850,000 basic salary. The closure of its Dublin operation and the axing of 77 jobs is an astonishingly immoral attempt to increase already massive profits.

“By taking the action they did yesterday morning, the Gardaí and their political puppet masters are yet again placing themselves on the side of people who are treating working class Irish citizens like dirt. While working class people are met with battering rams and hostile Gardaí, the criminal class of bankers, property developers and corrupt politicians are free to do what they please.”

Leeson continued: “The workers at Thomas Cook are simply requesting adequate redundancy packages for their many years of service in the company. This is not too much to ask, especially when there was no pressing financial reason to axe their livelihoods in the first place. éirígí commends them for the actions they took to get a semblance of compensation.

“The representatives of the TSSA union must take a firm line with Thomas Cook and ensure that the Dublin staff get the redundancy pay they are entitled to.

“The militancy of workers in Waterford Crystal, Visteon and, now, Thomas Cook has demonstrated what can be achieved when working class people stand up for their rights and don’t rely on establishment politicians to do the job for them.”

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