When a City hugs its People

It’s two weeks since thousands of people woke up to find that they had lost their job due to the collapse of Thomas Cook. Many of whom had worked for the airline all their working life and 3,000 of which had been employed in the Greater Manchester region.

A huge shock and kick to the thousands of decent and hardworking employees that worked for the UK’s oldest travel company and a potentially major blow to a city-wide economy that is so reliant on a stable and resilient employment market.

I’m sure many of us know someone that worked for Thomas Cook and have felt first-hand the impact it has had on them and their family. I certainly do and her name is Ali.

Ali had been employed by the airline for almost 35 years; held a senior position as cabin crew trainer and like so many of her colleagues, finds herself in the invidious position of no job; pension insecurity and having to go through the whole job hunting experience at a time of life when she should be edging towards retirement.

But this is Manchester as they say. And they do things differently around here.

If you have been following this story locally, then you will have seen that the City has given the 3,000 plus ex-employees a massive 'hug’.

The speed at which GM Mayor Andy Burnham set up a task force led by the GMCA and delivered by the Manchester Growth Company to respond to the crisis was stunning. From launching a dedicated website where people could access practical support; through to the jobs fair that was held at Manchester Airport – all within two weeks, is a real case study on going beyond warm words and straight into action.

And that’s not all. The support, empathy, compassion and availability of companies like the Manchester Growth Company to the thousands of employees is a symbol of hope and human kindness in a time where division and hostility is top of the news agenda and we’re sometimes left scratching our heads asking: ‘when did we all start to hate each other?’.

Speaking to Ali on Friday evening, she was moved to tears by the support she has received from the ‘Manchester Family.’ She has attended a CV workshop and interview skills session led by the Manchester Growth Company and she couldn’t stop praising the individuals who work there and had taken the time to get to know her and give her some genuine guidance on what to do next. Not to mention the free bus to Manchester Airport to get her to the jobs fair.

There is moral to all of this. And it’s not hard. Very few of us are in control of the destiny of a major corporation like Thomas Cook. And while we can’t stop the loss of thousands of jobs and the misery and uncertainty that a crisis like the one two weeks ago creates; we can all, I’m sure, learn from the brilliant response that followed.

I applaud the ‘Manchester Family’ for the great big hug it has given folk in the past two weeks. Proving that decency, empathy and support still exists.