TSSA members express ‘alarm’ at union’s failure to disclose results of election of President, Treasurer

Members raise concerns about complaint they believe was lodged after win for left candidates looked clear – and about hiding of outcome of vote

Members of the TSSA union have expressed their ‘alarm’ that the result of the union’s recent elections for president and treasurer have still not been declared almost two weeks after the vote took place, despite no approval for withholding the result having been obtained from the elected TSSA executive.

An email from the Network Rail London TSSA branch records that its members had raised concerns about the ‘withholding’ of the result and linked it to a complaint that had been lodged against one of the candidates just as it appeared that the two left-wing favourites had beaten the incumbent candidates close to TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust:

Dear branch member

At our branch meeting last Thursday we debated concerns from members that the election result for President and Treasurer has been withheld. by TSSA Head office. It is apparent that an investigation has been initiated by the Executive Committee relating to a complaint raised at the end of the voting process. The Executive Committee is known to have agreed the investigation but not the delay or withholding of the election result.

As you are aware our branch nominated and campaigned for Duncan Bates for President and Paul Mangan for Treasurer. Judging from the feedback we have received it would appear likely that Duncan and Paul are likely to have received the most votes and our branch is alarmed that the results of the election are not being published.

As a consequence our branch has agreed to:

1 Write to the trade union certification officer with our concerns.

2 Submit an emergency motion to TSSA Annual Conference ( see below submitted motion)

3 Encourage our branch members to write directly to TSSA Executive Committee for which we offer the following template text for an email:

Dear TSSA Executive Committee (email address)

I understand that the election results for President and Treasurer have been withheld without the authority of the Executive Committee. I voted in this election and I saw nothing in the campaign that was unreasonable or unfair that would justify withholding the outcome of this election. Please publish the results and respect the views of our members.

The branch is reporting the issue to the trade union Certification Officer and preparing to have it discussed at TSSA’s annual conference.

Last year, Eslamdoust was accused by striking TSSA workers of bullying and using anti-union tactics against them. In a video published in July they accused their general secretary – who was also the subject of a unanimous vote of no confidence by staff last spring – of:

• refusing to implement the recommendations of the damning Kennedy and Conley reports on the toxic culture that prevailed under the disgraced Manuel Cortes and his cohort, including the commission or enabling of sexual assaults, harassment and bullying
• victimising, bullying and suspending TSSA staff and targeting leading trade unionists who have spoken out against their behaviour – including suspending three activists who played a key role in the identification and removal of perpetrators under Cortes
• exploiting a technicality to disband the grassroots Women in Focus group – which was seen as playing a key role in pushing through the Kennedy and Conley recommendations
• paying off former management figures implicated in the abuse and allowing them to escape justice
• using non-disclosure agreements to silence workers and others
• using anti-union tactics to try to ban workers from striking that would never be accepted from a rail employer
• undoing the good work of the previous interim general secretary on implementing the reports’ recommendations
• refusing even to be in the same room as workers during ACAS talks
• turning the union’s conference into a farce by barring critical delegates and staff from attending and blocking motions expressing criticism of Eslamdoust
• using her platform as general secretary to attack and abuse staff

Staff have also alleged a continuation, under Eslamdoust, of the bullying, abuse and intimidation that took place under disgraced former general secretary Manuel Cortes and that the union rewarded former officials involved in the abuse – and accused Eslamdoust of crossing their picket line on the first day of strike action.

The complaints and allegations mirror those of staff and members of the Unite union against its general secretary Sharon Graham.

The truth or otherwise of the last-minute accusations against a candidate will presumably come out in the exec-sanctioned investigation, but there appears to be no valid reason for the result not to be announced immediately.

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