Thomas Cook to axe 2,500 jobs

Around 2,500 jobs are to be axed at holidays group Thomas Cook after it revealed plans to close 195 of its high street travel agencies, with jobs also at risk at sites in the North-West.

The job losses — 16 per cent of its 15,500 workforce in the UK and Ireland — will impact workers across its retail network as well as administration and back–office staff.

Thomas Cook, which has a travel agents on Oldham’s High Street, said the moves were being made as part of a restructuring and to slash administration costs.

Having recently shut 149 stores, Thomas Cook will be left with 874 travel agencies across the UK and Northern Ireland. It will confirm which stores are due to be closed later this week.

Thomas Cook is also planning to shut its Accrington office in the North-West in a move affecting 100 posts.

Shocked

Administrative and managerial jobs are also at risk across its head office in Peterborough and its Preston site. Thomas Cook also has offices in Egham in Surrey, Brighton, and Birkenshaw in West Yorkshire.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association, which represents employees, said it was shocked and angry at the scale of the job losses.