Thomas Cook, worker: "I was thrown under a bus"

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Hayley and Dan, married couple, lost their job at Thomas Cook — Legend

Hayley and Dan, a married couple, fear financial problems after losing their job at Thomas Cook

Thomas Cook's employees said they were stranded abroad and fear they would not receive thousands of pounds of wages as a result of the collapse of the world's oldest tour operator.

Thomas Cook entered the administration early Monday morning after the failure of negotiations to raise new funds, leaving 22,000 jobs at risk around the world, including 9,000 in the United Kingdom.

Peter Fankhauser, the general manager of the company, apologized to employees and customers after the collapse.

Staff explained to the BBC how the closure affected them.

& # 39; I feel let down & # 39;

Married couples Hayley and Dan worked for Thomas Cook for 34 years before losing the jobs they loved.

Dan, 41, pilot of the firm for 19 years, was informed of the collapse by email before the official announcement around 2:00 GMT.

Meanwhile, Hayley, 36, a cabin crew member for 15 years, watched the news unfold at home.

Hayley, who did not want to give his last name, told the BBC: "At first we were devastated to hear the news.

"Now it seems like it has been a long time coming.

"I feel depressed, I feel like I have been thrown under a bus."

The couple will receive £ 8,000 next Monday, but do not expect to receive them on time.

Hayley added, "It was a good salary between us, Dan had worked overtime, we had a vacation in Florida to pay in May, we can not afford it anymore."

"We have some savings to cover the mortgage and we are fortunate to have a family that can help in the short term, but we desperately need to find Dan, the main breadwinner. in our house, a new job from here Christmas. "

The Manchester couple has two little girls aged five and three.

She added that the crew and pilots supported each other by giving them advice on signing the job seeker 's allowance and on the repayment of their mortgages and loans. their taxes.

"It's a very real and immediate problem, we all have mortgages contracted next week for which we can not pay," she said.

"I do not think there's a solution in the week, I know that a lot of teams have called different organizations and just cried." I called my room gym earlier on Tuesday to cancel my membership and I phoned them over the phone. "

The couple is waiting to receive information sheets and individual file numbers in the mail so that they can recover the amounts owed to them.

"Abandoned vulnerable personnel"

The mother of a Cyprus-based entertainment worker Thomas Cook said the young "vulnerable" employees were left to fend for themselves.

The woman, who did not want to identify or identify her daughter, told the BBC that she had to pay £ 480 for the 19-year-old girl to return to the UK.

She said, "No one is helping other vulnerable young people in other countries.

"Workers who stay in these countries receive a minimum wage of £ 500 per month and can not afford to go home."

"They were put in touch with the British consulate and told them that they could not do anything because they are not protected by Atol or Abta, and that it was incumbent on the company to the assurance of bringing them home.

"When she came to work yesterday, she was told that she had to work, even though the company had spent the night at the administration.

"They said that they needed all the remaining team members until Thomas Cook's last vacationer left.

"Anyone who decides not to stay must write a letter of resignation."

The woman's daughter had signed a six-month contract with the company and thought that she would not be eligible to claim any lost wages.

"Crews stranded abroad"

Legend of the media"It's a mess for everyone," says Thomas Cook's former driver

David Crighton, Thomas Cook's pilot for 20 years, said losing his job had been felt like "a mourning".

Mr Crighton, of Cheshire, fears not to receive his salary of £ 12,000 for this month, saying "that he will not come so soon."

He said, "I worked almost every day for a month for nothing, I'm probably one of the lucky ones, because my wife is a full-time job and I could pay my mortgage for six months.

"The human effect of this is scandalous (…) it is the little people who will really be in trouble.

"The first employees to be paid should be the staff."

He expressed concern that the role of another pilot is now only a "brawl between buddies" and that he may have to incorporate work abroad into his Job search – although he needs Thomas Cook to sign his pilot's license and the flying hours that he must perform. this.

He added that some of his teammates were still stranded abroad, including one in Las Vegas, and were facing exorbitant prices for seats allowing them to travel home on another airline.

The crew in Las Vegas has now received free flights back home from another airline, he said.

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