Thomas Cook management has accused the union which organised the protest sit-in at the company's branch in Grafton Street last month of launching "personal and physical attacks on management", one of which remains the subject of a garda investigation.

Pete Constanti, mainstream travel CEO of Thomas Cook, said the unusual tactics of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) in seeking an enhanced redundancy settlement for the 45 staff who lost their jobs actually disadvantaged the people they represent.

"Originally, the company wanted to keep around 10 of the 45 staff on until Christmas, engaged in backroom service work. But because of the union's tactics this was immediately lost to staff," said Constanti.

He said the long-established travel company was also "fully behind" senior PR manager Nick Sandham's decision to report the Tssa's Gerry Doherty to gardaí after the union leader allegedly physically evicted him from the Grafton Street shop. Sandham had travelled from the UK to inform the staff that the company intended to close its two branches in Dublin.

Doherty said he has no regrets about his actions.

"I make no apologies for an attack on the CEO of Thomas Cook, Manny Fontenla Novoa, who last year, including bonuses, made over £7m in earnings while throwing mainly women out on the dole in the middle of a recession," he said.

On the deal worked out at the Labour Relations Commission last week, Constanti insisted that it cost the company no more than the original offer last month.

The company had offered five weeks' pay per year of service plus one month's pay while the Tssa sought eight weeks. Constanti said the deal provides for five weeks' pay plus an ex-gratia payment based on each worker's service but is the same overall amount.

Doherty claimed the deal, which was finally backed by all staff last week, was better but he admitted it was below the union's demand for eight weeks' pay.

Constanti revealed that a major factor in the company pulling out was not high Irish wages but the astronomical rents being charged in Grafton Street in particular.

"We paid €540,000 a year for the premises and the landlord wanted to increase the rent to €750,000," he said.