A group of ex-employees from the collapsed BlueSky Travel Systems has launched a class action lawsuit against Thomas Cook Group regarding the failure of the company and treatment of staff.
Tnooz understands that the action was handed to an Employment Tribunal in Manchester, UK, on 23 December 2009, almost three months to the day after the reservation system software supplier to Thomas Cook went into administration.
The collapse of BlueSky left around 60 members of staff without a job - a further 20 staffers went to work immediately for Thomas Cook and another eight have since joined Amadeus-owned TravelTainment.
The case is likely to focus on a number of key elements over how staff were treated before, during and after BlueSky was taken over by administrators.
At the heart of the case, but not a point being directly taken into consideration as it is believed to be a motivating factor rather than a legal point, is the belief amongst many former staff that Thomas Cook had always planned to buy the company and therefore is liable for redundancy payments, unpaid holiday and charges of unfair dismissal of staff.
JMCH Services, a subsidiary of Thomas Cook which was created to obtain the intellectual property rights of the BlueSky software, is also implicated in the class action and charged by ex-staff with being liable alongside the tour operating giant.
Thomas Cook is staying tight-lipped over the latest twist in the tale, saying only through its corporate communication agency Brunswick: "We cannot comment as this is a legal matter."