Member stories

Graham Whitehead worked for Thomas Cook Travel in Peterborough. After 30 years at the company he lost his job when the company went into liquidation in September 2019, leaving him unemployed just a few years away from retirement. But 18 months later, TSSA won compensation for him and other former Thomas Cook employees.

Despite the company collapsing, TSSA was able to pursue a tribunal case for members with the help of specialist law firm Morrish Solicitors. We secured a judgment against Thomas Cook for a protective award of 90 days’ pay for each of the affected employees. Overall, the tribunal outcome meant that up to 1,500 former Thomas Cook employees could claim as much as £4,200 each – a huge result for staff who were left with nothing when the company collapsed.

“The judgement is good”, said Graham. “Morrish have worked very hard on it and TSSA have been very helpful. It shows the necessity of belonging to a trade union. Employment law can be very difficult for an individual to navigate. I’ve always been a member of a union and this is another example of why it’s so important. You can’t fight these things on your own.”