Member Article

Freedom Direct staff get jobs with rivals

Staff of failed online travel agent Freedom Direct are being taken on by rival businesses in the North East of England.

The Newcastle-based company, which went into voluntary liquidation on April 16, employed 109 staff and all have been dismissed.

Fellow travel agents Holiday Discount Centre, also based in Newcastle, plans to take on around six staff from the company.

Managing director Steve Campion said: “Hopefully there are enough travel businesses in this area for all the staff to find new jobs. We were recruiting anyway so the timing coincided.”

Hays Travel is also speaking to Freedom’s former employees to work in its homeworking business or retail shops. Other opportunities for the workers include First Choice’s Stockton call centre, which currently has 15 permanent and seasonal vacancies.

Meanwhile, recovery specialist RMT is currently in talks with several companies interested in taking over the business and is holding a creditors meeting in May to appoint a liquidator.

Mike Pott, RMT recovery and insolvency partner, said: “RMT initially entered discussions with a number of parties to establish whether Freedom Direct Holidays could continue to operate, renew its bond and retain its workforce.

“We also explored a number of options, including transferring the business to another ATOL licence holder and investigating within the travel industry as to whether any other organisation was able to take the Freedom Direct Holidays business forward. Regrettably, this was not possible due to the time constraints.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .