260 jobs may be axed in Accrington travel firm relocation

6:40pm Wednesday 11th June 2008

By Jon Livesey

OVER 250 jobs could axed at a major East Lancashire call-centre, it has been announced.

Travel Agent Thomas Cook announced the proposal to relocate operations, which are currently undertaken at The Globe Centre Accrington, this afternoon.

If the relocation goes ahead, up to 260 members of staff could be made redundant in September.

The company has now begun a 90-day consultation period where employees affected by the proposals can discuss relocation or suitable redeployment opportunities.

Staff at The Globe Centre, which has call-centre functions for Cresta, Tradewinds and Swiss Travel Service (STS) brands, have reacted angrily to the proposal and the way company bosses have conducted themselves.

One worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "At 3.50pm we were sent an email to say there would be a meeting at 4pm.

"In that meeting we were told we would be losing our jobs and the site would be closing.

"Some people have worked there for ten or 15 years and now they don't have much time to find another job.

"I've only been there about nine months, so my redundancy package will only be about £50.

"People have been walking out of work crying today but the company are heartless and couldn't care less about us.

"There are skilled workers who can sell for England that will find themselves out of a job."

The call-centre worker believes he will now struggle to find another job that is suitable for him in East Lancashire.

"It wasn't the best pay, but the atmosphere was brilliant and now we've lost it.

"There is a similar company on the docklands in Preston but getting there would cost me £40 or £50 a week in petrol and for a £10,000-a-year job, it's not worth it."

A year ago, Thomas Cook AG merged with Rossendale-based travel company, MyTravel PLC to form the Thomas Cook Group plc.

They say the relocation to other offices in Peterborough, Bradford and Brighton is in line with attempting to minimise the cost of delivering products and services to customers.

Pete Constanti, executive director, Thomas Cook Holidays Division, said: "We have an excellent team in Accrington, and it must be made clear that the proposals we are making are in no way a reflection on our people or their performance.

"We very much hope that many of them will opt to take advantage of our relocation and redeployment opportunities.

"We are fully committed to supporting them throughout the consultation process, making sure that everyone potentially impacted is clear about the various options available to them."