Administrative and managerial jobs at Thomas Cook’s Preston site are at risk, it has been announced.
The holiday firm has announced that it will cut 2,500 jobs across the UK as part of plans to close 195 of its high street travel agencies.
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 said the moves were being made as part of a restructuring and to slash administration costs.
It will confirm which stores are due to be closed later this week.
Administrative and managerial jobs are at risk at its head office in Peterborough and its Preston site.
And the company is also planning to shut its Accrington office in a move impacting around 100 roles.
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.
General secretary Manuel Cortes said: “This constant policy of slash and burn, with the axing of one in four stores and the loss of jobs, is simply self-defeating.”
But Thomas Cook’s recently appointed UK and Ireland chief executive Peter Fankhauser said the proposals will help return the group to profitability.
Thomas Cook slumped to a £590 million loss in its last financial year and is working on plans to slash costs.
Mr Fankhauser said: “It is never easy to make decisions that impact directly on our people, but we also owe it to our customers to operate efficiently and ensure that when they book their holiday with us our administrative costs are as low as possible,” he added.
Thomas Cook insisted it would maintain a “strong presence on the high street”, adding that the stores being earmarked for closure did not meet performance targets or were in areas where the group has more than one retail outlet.
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