Unite the Union is urging former staff to don their uniform and protest at what it says is “the government’s failure to step in and save jobs”.

Unite says members will be carrying banners with the messages: “Bankers bailed out, Thomas Cook kicked out” and “Thomas Cook, Europe Flies, UK crashes”. The protest will begin at 10am behind Manchester Library and will be joined by Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

Cook workers were due to have been paid for September on Monday, however the Insolvency Service, which is dealing with the break-up of the company, has confirmed they will not receive their salaries and will instead become creditors. It is now unclear when they will be paid.

Unite said: “In particular the workers are angry that the profitable Thomas Cook airline was allowed to collapse, while the company’s airline subsidiaries in Germany, Scandinavia and Spain have been given assistance by their respective governments to protect the companies and safeguard jobs.”