5 2
Cook: We need Spanish hoteliers to support claims
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
Thomas Cook said it wants hoteliers’ help and support to fight fake sickness claims after Spanish lawyers accused UK tour operators of racking up legal costs and passing them on. Travel Weekly reported the concerns in Spain last week, quoting Madrid-based lawyer Marie Rogers who said: “When tour operators fight, the hotels have to pick up the costs.” Thomas Cook senior legal counsel
Rebecca White confirmed the group is “forensically” reviewing sickness claims to combat “a dramatic spike”, saying: “If we think a claim is fraudulent we won’t pay it.” However, a Thomas Cook
spokesman insisted: “Our relationship with hoteliers is important. [Fighting fake claims] requires evidence, support and intelligence from hoteliers. It can be the difference between going to court and not, and the difference
Benidorm: Cook is urging more hoteliers to ‘build evidence’ to help fight fake claims
between winning and losing. “Most hoteliers we work with
see the big picture – that by challenging claims in court we’ve dramatically reduced the number of new claims.” He added: “The majority
of cases we investigate are either dropped by claimants or successfully defended in court, meaning it’s a win-win for us and the hoteliers. What is important is that more hoteliers support us in building evidence so we stand the best possible chance in court.” Abta declined to comment on
operators passing on the costs of defending claims. However, it hailed a minor success in the latest phase of its Stop Sickness Scams campaign. Senior solicitor Susan Deer said: “The government has now laid an amendment [to] the Financial Guidance and Claims Bill that will ban cold calling by claims management companies. We’ll work constructively with the government and regulator to
ensure any ban is effective.” › Business, back page
‘Action needed on gender pay gap’
Ben Ireland
ben.ireland@
travelweekly.co.uk
The boss of a leading travel recruitment firm has called on the industry to tackle the gender pay gap after the chief executive of easyJet took a voluntary reduction in salary.
Barbara Kolosinska, director
at C&M Travel Recruitment, said: “There’s definitely a gap. A lot of companies need to address it.” EasyJet’s Johan Lundgren opted
to cut his £740,000 salary to match the £706,000 paid to his predecessor Dame Carolyn McCall. Kolosinska cited the case of a senior female employee of a “well-known travel company” who discovered she was earning £30,000 less than her male counterpart – and demanded a pay rise. Kolosinska said women often
CLAIMS FIGHT
have lower salary expectations than men with the same experience and “sometimes lack confidence”. Jayne Peirce, founder of Jayne
Peirce Travel Recruitment, said wages were negotiated on experience but she acknowledged that senior jobs remain “male
“There’s definitely a pay gap. A lot of companies need to address it”
dominated”. Claire Muge, sales director at Travel Trade Recruitment, said questions would be asked of any firm that offered a female applicant less money for the same role as a male candidate. “What we don’t see is whether
it’s maybe easier for men to progress,” she added. She said travel was “probably ahead of other industries” for equal pay because it has traditionally employed more women. EasyJet has a gender pay gap of 51.7% which it put down to 94% of its pilots, who earn more than cabin crew, being male. The airline said “pay rates are the same for men and women”. It aims for 20% of pilot recruits to be female by 2020. Lundgren said: “We are committed to equal pay and equal opportunity. I want that to apply to everybody and I have asked the board to reduce my pay to match Carolyn’s when she was at easyJet.”
1 February 2018
travelweekly.co.uk 5 3
EasyJet chief Johan Lundgren asked for his own pay to be cut
STORIES HOT
PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
