{"id":19214,"date":"2019-10-07T16:13:44","date_gmt":"2019-10-07T15:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=19214"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:55:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:55:08","slug":"thomas-cook-long-walk-protest-rachel-murrell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=19214","title":{"rendered":"The long walk to protest"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Former Thomas Cook cabin crew manager Rachel Murrell wanted desperately to be at last week\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s demonstration in Parliament on Wednesday (October 2) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d to stand with her colleagues and demand answers from the government after the iconic travel firm went bust two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut living in Devon, not having any job, I just couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t justify spending the money on petrol and parking, or taking the train there,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the days after losing her job, which she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d had for more than two decades, Rachel was beside herself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy emotions flip-flopped from being really angry to really shocked and upset. I felt literally sick \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t eat or sleep; I started having chest pains.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was then that Rachel had happened to pick up a Dick Whittington book from the library for her three-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe were just sitting there reading it, over and over again,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Rachel told UNITElive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Inspired by the legendary character\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fabled walk to London, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when it came to her\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll just walk to London and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What began as a spur-of-the-moment idea born from a children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s book soon turned into an inspiring reality \u00e2\u20ac\u201d on Friday (October 4) Rachel completed her 200-mile, week-long journey, entirely on foot in her Thomas Cook uniform, to hand in a letter to Downing Street demanding answers from the government.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Rachel

Rachel with her colleagues, fellow Unite members<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Setting off from Newton Abbott, just after her Job Seeker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appointment on Friday, September 27, Rachel averaged 20 miles a day or more, spurred on by colleagues, family, friends and strangers alike.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeople have been absolutely lovely\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00c2\u00a0they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve offered me lifts, which I gratefully declined, takeaways, places to stay.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nChallenges<\/strong><\/em>
\nBut her epic journey was not without its challenges.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe second day was definitely the hardest. I was walking in torrential downpour in my polyester dress. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rang ahead for a place to stay but there was no room at the inn so I had to walk an extra four miles to the closest pub. Four miles doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem like much but when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re totally drenched and exhausted, in the middle of nowhere in the dark, and then your phone stops working \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it was absolutely horrific. If it had been any colder, I would have been looking at hypothermia.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Friday (October 4) Rachel was greeted by her mother, brother-in-law, dozens of her colleagues and other Unite members as she made the final stretch to Downing Street where she attempted to hand in her letter to prime minister Boris Johnson.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Rachel

Rachel with her mum after the long journey<\/p><\/div>\n

Although turned away at the gates, Rachel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s defiant message rang loud and clear through social media \u00e2\u20ac\u201d under the hashtag #walkingforanswers \u00e2\u20ac\u201d as well as through news outlets across the UK.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Rachel

Rachel tries to deliver a letter to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

In her letter, Rachel demanded an \u00e2\u20ac\u015bin-depth, forensic investigation into the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s demise\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 . She called\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0for \u00e2\u20ac\u015ba system be put in place to ensure companies ring-fence money in case of collapse\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, and to ensure redundancy payments are fast-tracked \u00e2\u20ac\u015ballowing those affected to have room to breathe, grieve for the loss of their career before hopefully moving on to a new position\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rachel also called for company directors to return their ill-gotten bonuses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand how a company like Thomas Cook can go into liquidation and then managers and directors get these massive bonuses and workers are left with nothing,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she told UniteLive. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBonuses should be given back. If people stand up and fight for what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right and bosses were forced to do what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ethical, then the world would be a better place. I wanted to keep hammering that message home by walking 200 miles and to get it out to as many people as possible I could.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What next for Rachel, then?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like many of her colleagues, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to contend with finding a new work after spending her entire working life with one employer in a job that she loved.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never even written a CV,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut if there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one thing this walk has given me is the confidence to know I can do anything if I set my mind to it.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Rachel

Rachel and her colleagues stand defiant in their quest for answers<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also reconnected her with what she believes really matters in life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWalking 200 miles gives you a lot of time to think about things. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made me immensely grateful to all my wonderful colleagues, my family, my daughter, but most of all it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made me grateful to my incredible husband George. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an amazing father and partner and I simply couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have done this without him.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite national officer Oliver Richardson hailed Rachel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s efforts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Rachel

Rachel with Unite national officer Oliver Richardson<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite is immensely proud of Rachel and all of our Thomas Cook members who have shown such dignity and determination in the face of their shoddy treatment,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThomas Cook workers have every right to be angry.\u00c2\u00a0The sudden collapse has left many workers desperate and with no income.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite is determined to get these workers the wages they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re owed, and has called on the business secretary Andrea Leadsom to restore a modicum of justice to this scandal and ensure workers are paid,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe are also urging banks, mortgage lenders and landlords to give these workers the breathing space they need to get back on their feet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite stands shoulder to shoulder with the workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 calls for the directors to hand back their bonuses and will put pressure on this government to bring in legislation to ensure that a company collapse of this kind is never again allowed to happen.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  • Pics by Mark Thomas<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Former Thomas Cook cabin crew manager Rachel Murrell wanted desperately to be at last week\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s demonstration in Parliament on Wednesday (October 2) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d to stand with her colleagues and demand answers from the government after the iconic travel firm went bust two weeks ago.   \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut living in Devon, not having any job, I just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[1233],"wps_subtitle":"Cabin crew worker Rachel Murrell takes her own \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Cook\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Tour\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c angry At Thomas Cook\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s demise","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19214"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19214"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24930,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19214\/revisions\/24930"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}