Thomas Cook Grafton Street store occupied by the workers

PrivateEye

Very interesting one. Apparently they've recieved messages of support from the workers involved in the Vestas occupation in the UK, and from workers still fighting for their pensions from Visteon. The unions won't be too impressed me thinks.

From my own point of view, full solidarity to them. My mother was by earlier on and said people are showing them fantastic support.If you're in town, swing by!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr3YoddMVak

short report from inside and the street outside thomas cooks yesterday when the staff ejected the managers!

The Thomas Cook offices at grafton st dublin are now under worker's control. Workers occupoed the building after management , who had flown in specially from the UK, announced the closure of the shops on north earl street and grafton st Dublin. The staff at the north earl st shop were told to close the store for an hour and to accompany managers to the grafton st store, they went upstairs and started laying out chairs to line the workers up and dismiss them. One of the workers who sensed what was coming shouted 'Lock In!' and, like electricity, word shot up through the other floors of the building.
The workers took the upper floors leaving management downstairs in the shop. Socialist Worker members arrived and, after speaking to a shop steward inside, we started distributing the worker's flyer about the dispute outside the shop to the public. We started chanting along with the workers who shouted along from the upper story windows 'I dont know what i been told..thomas cook aint got no soul!'. The response from the passers by was amazing, 'this is what this country needs',' they're right fair play to them'. Bin lorry drivers, Buses and Taxis continually beeped their horns and stopped to get more information.
A press photographer arrived and the workers assembled in the shop with management beside them looking uneasy, one of the pregnant workers was having her photo taken when the press officer for thomas cook management tried to block the shot, one of the union members threw the press officer out of the shop, soon to be followed by the other managers, who left in tears. They had never had to deal with workers fighting back.They expected submission. The workers and supporters outside began shouting, 'the workers united will never be defeated!'.
The very people who earlier that day had gathered the workers to dismiss them were left weeping into mobile phones and quietly asking could they have their bags back.

Go down and cheer the workers on today!

jumpguy

"The staff at the north earl st shop were told to close the store for an hour and to accompany managers to the grafton st store, they went upstairs and started laying out chairs to line the workers up and dismiss them."

Sounds like something in the wild west. Dismiss the workers...one-by-one...and do it slowly.

AnonoBoy

So I can go get a free spray tan in Arnott's today so I can go and look my best when I gawk at the sit-in protest.

A good day on Grafton Street alright.

Bandit12

Get a job ya bum's

PrivateEye

So I can go get a free spray tan in Arnott's today so I can go and look my best when I gawk at the sit-in protest.

You made a funnies.

If you watch the video you'd see they actually appealed to other workers to go down and offer support, similar to what happened recently in Belfast at the Visteon plant. As a unionised worker, I've nothing but full support for somebody taking action like this at the minute and I'm sure people will be there for them if they carry this one out for a few days, as happened in Waterford.

Workers issues are one of the only places I've any faith in the 'goodness' of the Irish people (Irish Ferries, GAMA, Waterford Crystal come to mind....)

Alternatively, you could gawk in the windows :rolleyes:

Vanbis

Staff at Direct-Holidays on Talbot Street where forced into the same situation this morning when secuirty came into the shop and asked staff members for the keys which they have refused to hand over and are now forced to make a stand.

Thomas Cook and Direct-Holidays are the one company, Thomas cook bought out direct-holidays but they still trade under Direct. The staff at Direct have tried to get union Representation since they where informed of the reduncies but Thomas cook refuse to reconginse the union todate.

Its a disgraful way to treat staff memebers who have worked hard to line the company with sales worth millions each year. Thomas Cook made a massive profit last year.

IvySlayer

Thomas Cook workers were offered 5 weeks per year they worked there on top with a months bonus, fairly healthy redundancy package.

Ste.phen

IvySlayer wrote: »

Thomas Cook workers were offered 5 weeks per year they worked there on top with a months bonus, fairly healthy redundancy package.

Which makes me wonder what they hope to achieve in having a sit in protest? It's hardly going to encourage management to give them MORE money, is it?

hatetherain!

I heard on the news there were originally offered 8 weeks redundancy and were "sitting in" for more......no chance I'd say of an increase on 8

thomond2006

The cheek of 'em! :D:D:D

ronrar

It's a shame someone didn't push this annoying **** out the window.

http://tv3.ie/videos.php?video=11990&locID=1.2.141&date=2009-07-31&date_mode=1&page=1&show_cal=&newspanel=1&showspanel=&web_only=&full_episodes=

DonJose

Very insensitive on the managers part. If I were the manager I would have offered all the staff a free holiday, then locked up the office while they were on holiday

mp3guy

Ah, playing the old "If I sit here long enough money will come out of nowhere" card.

Nodin

mp3guy wrote: »

Ah, playing the old "If I sit here long enough money will come out of nowhere" card.

The top dog in Thomas Cook/Thomson was paid a 5 Million Sterling bonus in January. That would suggest that there is indeed money about, wouldn't it?

mikemac

Socialist Worker members arrived and, after speaking to a shop steward inside, we started distributing the worker's flyer about the dispute outside the shop to the public. We started chanting along with the workers

What exactly do the Socialist Workers Party have to do with this?
Are the staff all members? I doubt it

Would this be a party just jumping on an incident for some publicity?

mp3guy

Nodin wrote: »

The top dog in Thomas Cook/Thomson was paid a 5 Million Sterling bonus in January. That would suggest that there is indeed money about, wouldn't it?

Yeah, and communism isn't.

Whiskey Devil

Easy to jeer when you are not the one in that situation. Fair play to them.

Board Senseless

Easy to say fair play when you are not the one in that situation.

::jeers::

Nodin

mp3guy wrote: »

Yeah, and communism isn't.

And that remark has got what to do with this situation....?

Tom10

mikemac wrote: »

What exactly do the Socialist Workers Party have to do with this?
Are the staff all members? I doubt it

Would this be a party just jumping on an incident for some publicity?

Well they would be supporting workers rights - kinda like what they do. :rolleyes:

donkey balls

a sit in thats nothing compared to the french strikers holding managers hostage and threatening to blow up there factory.

InkSlinger67

I passed these guys earlier today, they're making quite a mess down there. Litter fines for all involved to add to their woes I say!

stovelid

Tragically, I predict strife by Monday.

A reformist tendency will spring up in the Foreign Exchange section and will be brutally repressed, Kronstadt-style, by the vanguardists in the Central Reservations area

homerjay2005

their redundancy package is very very good.their company is leaving, they are loosing their jobs, so are 1000's of others each month. they are trying IMO, to force bad publicity on the company. very bad behaviour i think, but im sure others willl have their opinion.


the quote -"ireland needs more of this" is very disturbing.

mp3guy

Seems very childish. Thousands of other laid off workers understand the economy and took their leave with dignity, this is actually just embarrassing.

Nodin

mp3guy wrote: »

Seems very childish. Thousands of other laid off workers understand the economy .

Did their bosses get a 5 Million STG bonus in Jan?

BarryM3

Nodin wrote: »

Did their bosses get a 5 Million STG bonus in Jan?

What has that got to do with anything?

They had a job, they got paid for doing it.

It obviously doesn't make financial sense for them to continue trading so they were made redundant, they were offered above and beyond what they are entitled to. Still not happy!!

Idiots....

WindSock

Takin a butchers hook at the drama at Thomas Cook.

dny123456

5 weeks redundancy is pretty good to be honest... they should just take it. Statutory, is 2 weeks, with a cap of 600 a week.

From
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/employment/unemployment-and-redundancy/redundancy/redundancy-payments


I got four weeks last time i was made redundant and was pretty happy with it. Unrealistic greedy workers are going to end up with a lot less. Silly girls.

utick

i think thomas cook should keep to the offer of 5 weeks for workers who leave the building by monday morning and anyone who continues to stay just gets the basic legal 2 weeks. seriously i wonder how many of those complaining about 5 weeks redundancy have any idea how damaging that is to irelands reputation for future foreign companys looking to come here, and i bet a lot of these people want to blame everything on the government rather than looking at the harm they are causing themselves

andrew

I dispise people who pull of this sort of crap.