Union turbulence continues as staff confirm dates for pickets over union management’s alleged bullying, avoidance and abandonment of agreed procedures
Staff members of the TSSA rail union who are represented by the GMB union have agreed strike dates, following their overwhelming vote for industrial action last week. On a huge turnout of 86%, 93.3% of staff voted yes to both strike action and ‘action short of a strike’ in their dispute over what they say is bullying and high-handed behaviour by the union’s general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust and her team. Strikes will take place 30 April and 4 June, including pickets of TSSA offices.
Eslamdoust was recommended to members, despite what appears to be a complete lack of relevant experience, by a TSSA executive reeling after former general secretary Manuel Cortes was sacked over sexual harassment and bullying exposed in the Kennedy Report. The union has seen fresh allegations of abuse and deep resentment against the new general secretary.
Ms Eslamdoust attacked Skwawkbox during the general secretary election for scrutinising her and her supporters’ campaign claims that she had ‘high level trade union experience’, an article that led to accusations of ‘losing the plot’. She also recently wrote a bizarre article for the Guardian in which she accused the GMB union of attempting to bully her so it could take over the TSSA and distract from its own renewed sexual harassment scandal, and tried to blame others for her failure to take meaningful action to implement the Kennedy Report’s recommendations, outraging staff members who have pointed out that their dispute pre-dates the new GMB revelations.
In an ‘FAQ’ document sent to all GMB members working for TSSA, the group explains the reasons for the strike and answer the union management’s attempts to blame workers for the dispute:
Why haven’t you met with the EC to discuss your concerns directly?
We have not received any invitation from the EC. We are open to meeting with them and would welcome the opportunity to explain our issues to them. If the EC requested a meeting with the GMB that has not been conveyed to us by the GS or AGS, this is a worrying reminder of the previous Cortes regime when the EC and staff were kept apart from each other.
Three GMB Reps sit on the Change Management Oversight Group, with two EC members and the GS. As part of this group, we have repeatedly expressed concerns that culture change had stalled in the last 6 months and has now in fact regressed.
In addition, since the publication of the Kennedy and Conley reports in February 2023 (14 months ago), the EC have never met with the whole staff once.
We have, however, met with delegates from the EC, including the President and Treasurer, in meetings trying to resolve this issue on several occasions. In addition, the president has been copied in on all the correspondence about issues we have sent to the GS since last December.
The General Secretary says that nothing has been raised through the agreed internal processes? Why not?
The GMB reps have raised collective concerns through the established bargaining machinery at meetings in November, January, and twice in March, and also in correspondence, since November 2023, to no avail.
Individuals have also raised concerns through the internal and external whistleblowing services. Two staff are currently off work sick with work-related stress, which is itself an indicator of problems in the workplace.Claims that there is no bullying or harassment
The General Secretary is aware of complaints about bullying, and a culture of fear, within the TSSA. They have been raised repeatedly in formal negotiation meetings between November and March.
In addition, one member of staff submitted a complaint under TSSA’s bullying policy against the General Secretary to the independent investigator Howlett Brown in December last year. This was after a vindictive and targeted bullying campaign against this member for a period of months.
At the beginning of this year the contract with Howlett Brown was terminated without any consultation with the GMB reps or any consideration of the consequences to staff with active complaints and queries.
This decision has caused our member additional distress and anxiety seriously affecting their health and wellbeing without any clarity or certainty regarding the status of their complaint, who will be investigating it and when. During this time the General Secretary has gone out of her way to damage the professional reputation of the member, repeatedly criticising and denigrating them.
To date no alternative independent provider has been appointed which is in direct contravention of the Kennedy report.
Bullying of a trade union rep
One of our Trade union representatives has been subject to hostile behaviour and bullying by the General Secretary, since last November. This has included sending an intimidatory email to the rep, circulating that email to every member of the staff body, and repeatedly lying about him and denigrating him to other staff, in what appears to be an attempt to destroy his reputation.
In an additional note, the group adds:
Finally we have recently discovered via ACAS that TSSA have made contact but we only found this out yesterday when they contacted GMB. There has been no communication from TSSA to any of the reps or our FTO to discuss with us or inform us that they were considering or even doing this.
More big TSSA news will follow this afternoon, after the expiry of a press deadline.
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Another plant
Why is there no recall rules to kick them out
Would work a treat with the Fuhrer
Maybe the TSSA members who democratically elected them into office are quite happy with their choices
Herr Flick
Correct
If you represent about 6% of them
Doug – ,,,,,,,and yet even with the very low turnout ‘the left’ still lost. 😔
Whoops!
https://skwawkbox.org/2024/04/22/tssa-members-in-network-rail-london-south-vote-no-confidence-in-eslamdoust-heywood/
I wonder how many other TSSA Branches are trying to do the same?
These pesky facts are a bugger when one is trying to sell a bullshit narrative based on the woke approach of creating your own fantasy reality aren’t they Billy.
Dave – Time will tell
Be more specific. On what point will ‘time tell’ Billy?
On whether fantasy narratives based on made up reality (as per Karl Rove’s well publicised rant on the subject) will ever prevail over real world facts rather than always, without exception, ending in tears?
Or whether more TSSA Branches could pass no confidence motions?
You really need to make your mind up and apply a bit of consistency by the way Billy. It was only three weeks ago since you were bellyaching about trade unions and their members not showing solidarity.
Now, as usual to suit your own warped convenience, you’re doing an Annalena ‘720 degree’ Baerbock and pouring cold water on the notion of such solidarity.
Dave – Did I really, is there a reason you haven’t posted a link?
What’s up Billy, can’t be arsed to get that mattress off your back? You’re as idle as Ludlam’s dog – which was said to have leaned its head against the wall to bark..
Here you go then:
https://skwawkbox.org/2024/04/02/unite-4-gaza-slams-grahams-extraordinary-attack-on-anti-genocide-campaigners/#comment-253977
Dave – Oh dear, is that really the best that you could come up with. 🥱😪😴💤
https://skwawkbox.org/2024/04/02/unite-4-gaza-slams-grahams-extraordinary-attack-on-anti-genocide-campaigners/#comment-254106
Ditto Billy,
https://skwawkbox.org/2024/04/02/unite-4-gaza-slams-grahams-extraordinary-attack-on-anti-genocide-campaigners/#comment-254110
And then it all went quite over there.
Still publicly running away from the awkward questions – even when there’s money on the table.
I’ve seen custard stains with more backbone.
Dave – Or maybe I just got bored with you 🥱
I had already given you a comprehensive answer and I had no desire to waste my time playing your silly games. Your flagging ego is your problem, not mine.
Billy, you having the attention span of a goldfish is your problem no one else’s.
If that’s your idea of a “comprehensive answer” there’s little wonder you have a proven track record of having problems answering even the simplest of questions.
Both Toffee and myself, and likely others, are still waiting for you to acknowledge the point about illegal secondary action. The fact that you are prevaricating and squirming speaks volumes. If you wish to be taken seriously by anyone on this forum you really need to do a lot better than this.
As matters stand you’re an embarrassment.
Dave – I see that you are still desperately trying to prove to yourself how clever you are. 🙄
You are deluding yourself if you think I’m squirming, what makes you think that I care one way or t’other what a pair of numpties like you and Toffee think.
You’ve had my answer and whether you choose to accept it or not is your problem. 🥱
An answer which is, by default and with zero substantive evidence presented that you don’t accept the reality of UK trade union legislation on secondary action.
Despite being given every opportunity to deny that is your position.
Just as you have, again by default, and against all the evidence, don’t accept the open and public admission by Western former leaders Merkel and Hollande that the Western elites had no intention of honouring the Minsk agreements – choosing instead to redefine this as “Putin propaganda”.
Again, after been given every opportunity to deny that is your position.
Ditto for the Western based OSCE figures on the murder and slaughter of Russian speaking civilians in the Donbass by the Kiev regime. Again, redefined as “Putin Propaganda”, despite this source again being Western rather than Russian
And ditto, in your view by default, that those people have any right to self defence or call on their close neigbour for assistance to help protect themselves.
Not forgetting all the Western based evidence of the neo-nazi nature of the Kiev proxy regime – including the Head of NATO publicly conceding the conflict started with illegal Western coup in 2014. Again all redefined/self defined as “Putin Propaganda.”
What is doubly tragic for you Billy is you still don’t get it. It is not just Toffee and myself but everyone on this site who reads the fantastical evidence free irrational nonsense you spout day, in day out.
No one is convinced of anything you say or post. You have less than zero credibility. Which means you are totally wasting your own time. You clearly do care otherwise you would not be so desperate as to continue posting your poorly researched evidence free ravings trying to convince everyone here that black is really white.
You cannot even convince anyone you don’t care.
If you had an ounce of self awareness of what a fool and public spectacle you are making of yourself you would realise that you are wasting your own time and no one else’s.
What a petty pointless existence. What a sad pathetic waste of space.
Dave – Oh WOW!
Do you feel like a big man now, I’m quite happy for anyone to read the thread you linked to and draw their own conclusions.
On the basis of the regular responses you receive people here already have Billy.
And they will also have noted that you do not in any way challenge the descriptions of your position on a number of key issues and questions. Choosing instead your usual ad hominem approach of ignoring the ball.
Which only serves to further cement those conclusions.
So who exactly are you trying to convince here – on anything you post? As no one on this site is buying the evidence free narrative on anything you say. In those terms you are achieving the square root of bugger all.
And no matter how much you try in vain to project responsibility for that onto others you have no one else to blame but yourself for that state of affairs.
Dave – I see that you are still attempting to pursue your rather silly and childish vendetta. 🥱
Please feel free to post examples and the links of when I have presented things as facts that have been untrue
There are lies of omission as well as commission and a number of both have already previously been listed Billy.
When you have addressed them – which, despite having been given every opportunity to do so, you have miserably and publicly failed to answer on multiple occasions which are clear to everyone on this forum – then, and only then, will anyone on this forum consider viewing whatever you post with anything other than the ridicule and disdain your record deserves.
A rational good faith actor would address those shortcomings on their part rather than continue with their kindergarden level projection and ad hominem approach.
However, if you wish to continue digging that hole you have dug for yourself that is your problem. One which Bonhoff explicitly recognised.