Unite Union Launches Legal Action For Monarch Workers

The Unite union said it will launch legal action on behalf of over 1,800 Monarch airline workers who lost their jobs after the firm went in to administration this week.

Unite, which represents about 1,800 engineers and cabin crew who worked for Monarch, said it will lodge employment tribunal proceedings over a failure to consult on redundancies.

“Unite is determined to ensure that Monarch workers, who worked so hard to try and turn the airline around, are not left high and dry,” the union’s national officer Oliver Richardson said.

Under UK law, employers with over 100 employees must give a minimum of 45 days notice of redundancies. Employees with more than two years service are also entitled to redundancy pay.

Administrators KPMG made 1,858 staff redundant on Tuesday, split between 1,760 at Monarch Airlines and 98 at Monarch Travel Group. The remainder have been retained by KPMG to assist in the administration process.

“The manner in which Monarch went into administration and the way the government allowed it [to] happen means there is a strong claim for compensation by former Monarch workers,” Unite’s Richardson said.