Thomas Cook staff claim they have been denied benefits

Thomas Cook staff claim they have been denied benefits in the wake of the company’s collapse because job centres do not understand the administration process.

The package holiday company went bust in September after rescue talks fell apart, leaving some 600,000 holidaymakers stranded abroad.

Around 11,000 lost their jobs after Thomas Cook collapsed and went into liquidation and had hoped to be able to apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) while looking for work.

However, former employees have told BBC News they have still received no welfare benefits – and they accused their job centres of giving poor advice.

The problems stem from confusion over whether staff should get JSA or Universal Credit (UC) while the administration process continued.

Betty Knight, who worked as cabin crew for 12 years, said her application for JSA was repeatedly denied.

She told the BBC: “I’ve worked hard. I’ve done everything expected of me to contribute to our society.”

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “We are sorry if people have experienced delayed payments and urge them to stay in contact with their job centre.”