Around half of delegates barred, members prevented from online attendance and no-confidence motion tabled for vote blocked – but reps vote no confidence and ‘silenced’ staff say they will all ‘down tools’ if further staff are targeted
Members and workers were further outraged at the opening day of the TSSA’s annual delegate conference (ADC) in Cardiff yesterday, after around half of delegates due to attend the conference were blocked from admittance ahead of a tabled vote of no confidence in general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust – and the lay rep leafleting about the motion was directed to the union’s lawyers when he refused to hand over his leaflets.
The conference is usually attended by around eighty delegates, plus many of the union’s staff – and attended online by union members. However, Skwawkbox understands that around forty-four delegates, half or more, were refused entry because of supposed issues with their registration:
In addition, members were refused access to the online feed – along with some who gained access but were ejected. Delegates tried to force a vote anyway, but managed only around fifty percent in favour instead of the required two thirds.
TSSA staff have been the subject of smears sent by the union to member branches accusing them of being greedy and unreasonable, and have also faced attempts by Eslamdoust to bypass them and negotiate their dispute directly with the GMB union’s general secretary. The staff, who are represented at work by the GMB but it is the workers who are in dispute, not the other union, wrote last week to TSSA members to express their issues with their general secretary’s conduct:
URGENT LETTER FROM TSSA STAFF
PLEASE READ
CALLING ALL BRANCHES/MEMBERS OF TSSAWe write to address a matter of utmost concern regarding our General Secretary. We are writing to you as we have been silenced by the leadership of TSSA and have been banned from talking to TSSA members about the problems at TSSA. All TSSA staff have been told “internal staffing and organisational matters are confidential and should not be discussed with the lay membership.”
At the 2023 TSSA conference, staff were given the opportunity to address the conference in the light of the publication of the Kennedy and Conley reports. We have requested the President and the General Secretary allow staff to address this conference. We ask what the Leadership of TSSA is trying to hide if they prevent staff addressing conference this year?
TSSA staff are fully committed to the sweeping culture change called for in the Kennedy and Conley reports published in February 2023. Culture change is imperative if TSSA is to succeed and survive as an independent trade union. It needs to be highly prioritised work.
TSSA staff remain fully committed to this work.
Unfortunately, the General Secretary has shown no commitment to culture change at TSSA. There has been no progress in implementing the recommendations from both reports. In fact, culture change has regressed under this leadership. For example, there is still no Sexual Harassment policy at TSSA, even though this was a key recommendation from the Kennedy report 16 months ago. A new policy was agreed in October 2023, just before the General Secretary took office, but it has still not been ratified, over seven months later.
In addition, there have been multiple instances of bullying of staff/TU staff reps within the TSSA, with the General Secretary being the primary perpetrator. This behaviour not only undermines the principles of unity and solidarity that our union stands for, but also has a detrimental impact on the well-being of members and staff.
One of the most distressing consequences of this situation is the increasing number of staff members off sick due to stress and bullying. This not only negatively impacts the individuals concerned but significantly hampers the overall effectiveness of our union to deliver for members.
Furthermore, it is increasingly clear that the General Secretary lacks an understanding of the transport industry and its unique challenges. This lack of understanding has resulted in poor decision-making, wasting money (your membership fees), and a failure to effectively address the needs and concerns of our members.
The General Secretary has created an environment of fear and hypervigilance. She has taken unjustified actions such as suspending/demoting long-term staff and TSSA members without legitimate justification. This is leading to staff leaving the TSSA. In addition, three Executive Committee members feeling unheard, felt compelled to step down.
This has led to the staff at TSSA voting 93% in favour of strike action. You know that no workers vote for strike action unless they feel they have no alternative. Even more so staff working tor a trade union. This is how TSSA staff now feel.
As well as refusing to engage with staff representatives, the General Secretary tells lies in communications, claiming that she doesn’t know what the dispute is about, makes false claims that the staff reps won’t meet with her (there have been many meetings and correspondence regarding the dispute).
The General Secretary then made numerous false allegations in the Guardian newspaper, alleging a conspiracy that the GMB are trying to take over the TSSA.
It is insulting and demeaning to the staff that have been bullied by the General Secretary to claim that they are just making it up.
The General Secretary continues to make false allegations, including that the GMB want to take control of TSSA recruitment procedures and policies. These are lies to deflect from the very real and legitimate issues regarding her leadership that staff have. The TSSA General Secretary is blocking reforms demanded by the Kennedy report, not the GMB.
Furthermore, it is shocking to see your General Secretary crossing a picket line at Devonshire Square on the day of the staff strike on 30 April.
The current situation has left TSSA members and staff without a voice. Meaningful Collective Bargaining with TSSA staff no longer exists. The General Secretary frequently does not attend Collective Bargaining meetings, cancels meetings at the last minute, and is refusing to meet TSSA staff representatives at ACAS for further dispute resolution talks unless staff call off strikes. A well-known anti-union employer tactic.
A sincere employer accepting their unionised staff’s legitimate trade dispute would stop at nothing to genuinely engage to resolve the dispute. Instead, this employer uses anti-union tactics and misrepresentation on a level beyond the worst employers we deal with.
We genuinely fear that if Maryam Eslamdoust continues in her role, the union will be driven by a culture of bullying, power hoarding, epic incompetence, and a total disregard for trade union values.
In light of these grave concerns, we implore you to strongly consider voting no confidence in the current General Secretary at the 2024 TSSA conference. It is crucial that we take a united stand against bullying and ensure that our union is led by someone who genuinely understands and advocates for the welfare of TSSA members & staff; A General Secretary who shows a genuine commitment to sweeping culture change and the implementation of all the recommendations from the Kennedy and Conley reports.
We understand that this decision carries significant weight. Together, we can create an inclusive and supportive environment that upholds the trade union values we hold dear and protects the well-being of all our members and staff.
We sincerely hope that we can count on your support in voting for a motion of no confidence in this General Secretary.
In solidarity,
(Emphases added by Skwawkbox)
TSSA Staff (GMB Union Members)
Also last week, the Network Rail National Committee of TSSA reps at the rail employer – representing around a third of TSSA’s total membership – voted no confidence in Eslamdoust and union president Melissa Heywood:
Statement from TSSA Lay representatives on Network RaiI National Committee
Debated at National Committee meeting on Thursday 30th May
Emailed for continued debate, comment amendment on Thursday 30 May
Majority support confirmed from more than half of the 20 members by 31st MayTSSA had been through the massive challenge of removing the previous senior management team, including our General Secretary following an investigation and report by QC Helena Kennedy. There was a remarkable and positive consensus across the union to achieve these goals.
We have gone through the election process for a new General Secretary, with Maryam being successful in that election, being endorsed by the Executive Committee. At that point Maryam had the overwhelming support of our union employees and members, with the hope that we had every prospect of a positive leadership that would have learned from our previous conflicts.
Within weeks, internal conflicts started to emerge, with one member EC member leaving as he found the environment to be intolerable. The derecognition of Women in Focus was illegitimate and unnecessary.
Disputes between TSSA staff and the senior management team soon emerged, with complaints about non-compliance with agreements, accusations and counter accusations of bullying, with TSSA staff now having taken industrial action, referencing “a culture of bullying, harassment and victimisation”. There appears to be no plan to resolve this dispute which looks likely to escalate
unless there is a change to TSSA leadership approach to this dispute.The communications from our GeneraI Secretary to the employees appear to have inflamed rather than attempted to resolve this conflict. The article in the Guardian, in which the dispute is claimed by Maryam to be a takeover attempt by the GMB, can have done nothing but harm to our union and the GMB, and appears to have no basis in reality.
Subsequently there was evidence that our President liked a social media post that called for the derecognition of the GMB, which represents our employees in TSSA. There now appears to an extension of this conflict with the Executive Committee apparently agreeing this week to the suspension of three TSSA members who have been critical of the leadership.
That this Committee has no confidence in the leadership of the General Secretary and President in the management of internal conflicts that exist in our union and have been created since the election of our General Secretary.
This Committee has more confidence in our TSSA staff who are currently in dispute. Should our TSSA staff who are represented by the GMB decide they have no option but take further industrial action, we will support them in this action.
Note no full time officers have at any stage proposed or have at any stage been part of any of this debate or outcome.
Motion published by former TSSA assistant general secretary Steve Coe to his Facebook feed
TSSA at Network Rail London South had already voted no confidence in April. Staff voted unanimously last month that if any further staff are attacked or suspended by Eslamdoust or her allies, they will ‘down tools’ completely. An escalating programme of strikes is underway this month.
The conference continues today and tomorrow.
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