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TSSA Organiser Jessie Fenn on her campaign with Thomas Cook workers
With the collapse of the economy, multinational company Thomas Cook decided to streamline its business in Ireland. Union members were prepared to compromise and entered negotiations supported by their union, TSSA.
Reps drew up two different proposals in an attempt to save as many jobs as possible while still maintaining a relatively healthy business. Thomas Cook had different ideas.
Members found out by mistake that the company actually intended to close all its operations in the Republic.
Members felt enormously betrayed and took a ballot for industrial action.
TSSA members began an imaginative campaign to save their jobs. They took to the streets publicising their
unfair treatment, bringing family members and the local communities together. They spoke to other unions and set up a Facebook site to rally supporters.
Knowing that Manny Fontenla-Novoa, the CEO of Thomas Cook, had raked in £7 million as a bonus that year, they felt they should appeal directly to his Christian charitable nature. They arrived at his church with a live camel and placards reading “it’s easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”.
They also held a mini-concert in the middle of Dublin with a real greedy pig in tow! The company ignored them, but the public and the Irish press gave overwhelming support. Thousand of signatures were collected in petitions and unions from all over the world sent messages of support.
On the day the results of the ballot were due to be published, managers from the UK operation arrived at the Dublin shops and told members to hand over the keys.
The workers refused as they had not yet been made redundant. This was the start of a five-day occupation of the main Thomas Cook shop in Dublin.
Huge press coverage helped to raise the profile of the campaign, not least as one of the members inside the shop was nine months pregnant.
Eventually, Thomas Cook used the courts and the police to evict the mostly young women workers but decided to settle an improved redundancy deal.
The campaign was a struggle but a success. It was also lots of fun and shows what you can do when you simply compare the average worker with the millionaire boss!
