Support the Thomas Cook workers’ occupation – fighting against greed
August 2nd, 2009 | 
Author: After being told by Thomas Cook that their shop was being shut and there jobs gone, the workers have courageously decided to fight back. Here Joe Higgins outlines why everyone should support the workers occupation.
Thomas Cook Store
Thomas Cook’s decision to add to the jobs slaughter by closing their shops in Ireland is outrageous. This is a company which is projected to make a profit of £400 million worldwide this year, with over €4 million made in Ireland. Yet the management arrived at 10am yesterday morning and expected the workers to be gone in less than an hour.
However, the workers have not given in so easily. Their heroic occupation should be supported by all. They are taking a crucial stand against their scandalous treatment by this profitable company. I urge all working people to show their support.
One only needs to look at the stark difference in treatment of the CEO and the workers to see the agenda that is being pursued here. Thomas Cook’s CEO recently received a 34% pay rise and a seven million euro bonus for boosting profits by slashing thousands of jobs in Britain. Yet the low paid workers are to be thrown onto the dole, with minimum redundancy pay and no notice.
Not content with their significant profits, this company want to push them up even further at the expense of workers’ livelihoods by consolidation and shutting of shops. The workers’ occupation is vital to resisting this agenda.
The High Court order for workers to end their occupation and the threat of Garda action is a disgrace. The Gardai must not be used against these workers and there attempt to defend their livelihoods.
The trade union movement must mobilise to prevent the Gardai being used against these workers. Supporters and trade union activists should come to the offices to support the workers’ action and defend the occupation against any attempt to force them out. People reading this site should make every effort to go down to the site to show your solidarity. If you can’t do that, then leave a solidarity message to the workers using the comments box on the right, and we will pass the message on.
This is an important battle for all as the occupiers are taking an heroic stand against the sort of treatment which many workers now face.
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Solidarity with the workers!
Fair play, keep it up!
well done, keep up the struggle, i will try to get down there for a while to show my support over the coming days
Best of luck with your struggle in defence of your jobs.
The High Court injunction is a disgrace. Where were the lawmakers when the bankers and developers ran this country into the ground? Where are they now as we pay them millions in pensions and billions in bailouts?
If ever the two-tiered nature of our society needed illuminating, this is that light.
Your stand may be illegal, but it is just. Keep up the pressure.
Solidarity with the Thomas Cook workers form an English Civil Servant also faced with possible redundancy.
Occupy to defeat the bosses, organise to gain a living wage. For a new mass workers party.
A long, open-content article about the Thomas Cook occupations is online at http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Dublin_travel_agents_occupy_offices_against_closure
The Thomas Cook workers are absolutely justified in their protests, the way the ordinary workers in this country are being used as the fall guys for an economic crisis, not of their own making is a disgrace.
Absolute corporate greed at the expense of ordinary people is rife right now with many companies taking advantage of the economic situation here to get rid of workers, drive down their wages and obliterate hard won terms and conditions.