NEWS.CATEGORY: Political
TSSA signs Save Travel letter to government as Hays Travel cuts jobs
Travel and transport union TSSA has today signed the Save Travel letter calling on Grant Shapps and Rishi Sunak to provide more support for the travel industry. The trade union added its name on the day that Hays Travel confirmed it was making up to 878 job cuts, underscoring the plight of the industry.
Having already called for a “bespoke support package” for the travel industry, the trade union representing high street travel agents and related workers is now throwing its weight behind the TTG-initiated campaign. The open letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak explains the “catastrophic impact” of coronavirus on the travel industry and calls for direct sector specific support.
The campaign has received widespread support from across the industry, with trade association ABTA among those backing it. The industry is worth more than £60 billion annually to the UK economy. Hayes Travel announced that 878 of its 4,500 workers were at risk of redundancy, coming a week after travel operator TUI announced shop closures.
Manuel Cortes, TSSA General Secretary, said: “Our travel trade is in dire straights given the concentrated impact of coronavirus on the ability to travel. An already difficult situation has been made worse by the government’s confused messaging and last-minute changes to quarantine instructions. Today’s announcement from Hays Travel is yet another devastating chapter in the impact that covid-19 is having on the travel trade.
“We completely support the demands in this TTG Save Travel campaign. Our travel industry clearly needs a bespoke support package which reflects the situation that agents have been put in. There are plenty of practical and achievable options for government to save tens of thousands of jobs.
“An entire industry is on the brink here and without government action our travel trade could be wiped out.”