Exclusive: TSSA management ‘using every trick in the book’ to nullify president/treasurer elections

Former AGS Coe goes on record about unpopular union management’s alleged ‘tricks’ to protect factional allies he says lost key elections

The TSSA rail union’s turmoil under its general secretary Mariam Eslamdoust continues. Eslamdoust and her team have previously:

• been repeatedly accused by union staff, who have been in dispute with their employer for more than a year, of bullying and using anti-union tactics against them – and of crossing their picket line during strike action
• been accused of paying off disgraced former managers of the union she claimed she was going to sort out after years of sexual harassment and mismanagement under her predecessor Manuel Cortes
• suspended senior union figures not in Eslamdoust’s camp just after they won key elections or awards from the union
• lost a unanimous vote of no confidence among TSSA staff and another unanimous vote by one of TSSA’s biggest member branches
• Tried to bypass TSSA staff in their dispute by going straight to the GMB union that represents them at work
• attacked the GMB in the national press – and attacked striking staff in an email to members
• ‘summarily derecognised’ the TSSA’s women’s group, which accused Eslamdoust and her allies of perpetuating the abuse and harassment that characterised the regime of her predecessor Manuel Cortes
• barred delegates and members from last year’s TSSA annual conference and blocked a no-confidence motion brought against her
• attacked delegates at the 2025 conference as ‘parochial’ for wanting to raise these issues

Eslamdoust was brought in, despite an apparent complete lack of relevant union experience that she has never been able to refute, on a promise to put right the years of sexual harassment, bullying, misogyny and abuse carried out by TSSA’s previous management under the disgraced Manuel Cortes, who were sacked after their abuses were exposed in a searing report by Baroness Helena Kennedy.

Despite having no experience – and standing against candidates with extensive experience – the TSSA executive asked the membership to vote for Eslamdoust in the general secretary election, with the union’s executive being told, according to an outgoing member, that they had better select Eslamdoust or they’d have to answer to Andi Fox, a senior TSSA figure and close confidante of Cortes.

Martin Hartley, at the time the executive representative for Scotland, resigned over the conduct of Eslamdoust and her team. During the selection process, he wrote to colleagues on the ‘exec’ alleging that:

Once the interviews were completed, we deliberated on the candidate’s performance. We had three top candidates to choose from which we needed to discuss. While we progressed to discuss their performance and what each of the three final candidates could provide to the TSSA, I felt personally, Mary [Sithole] had already made her mind up for Maryam, I didn’t feel she wanted to engage in the discussion regarding the other candidates. Importantly I must declare that it was said to me by Melissa [Heywood]: “If we don’t pick Maryam, it’s going to take some explaining to [Cortes confidant] Andi Fox”.

I felt that this statement meant that there had been outside influence by a third party into the process to two other interviewers, which may have directed them to making a decision in favour of Maryam. Although I agreed Maryam performed well, I felt another candidate was more suited to the role.

2025 president/treasurer elections

In spring 2025, elections took place for the key TSSA positions of president and treasurer. Left-wingers Duncan Bates and Paul Mangan stood on a joint ticket against incumbents Melissa Heywood and Mary Sithole (mentioned in the above quote), both close allies of Maryam Eslamdoust.

Amid rumours that Bates and Mangan had easily beaten the incumbents, the union announced as soon as the ballot closed that a ‘serious’ complaint had been made against one of the challengers – no details ever provided, even to the accused, to the serious alarm of members.

Two months later, the TSSA’s management has still not announced the election result. Instead an email to members last week announced a new development – the claimed ineligibility of one of the challengers:

Former Assistant General Secretary Steve Coe

Now to Steve Coe, a former assistant general secretary of the union. Coe, a critic of Eslamdoust, was suspended by the management a year ago, a year after TSSA had awarded him its Gold Medallion for excellent service to members. Again, no reasons were given for the suspension, even to Coe. After ‘investigating’ for a year, the union has extended Coe’s suspension for three years – and has refused him his entitlement under TSSA rules to present his case to delegates at its annual conference.

They clearly know what the result is, it’s no coincidence that an executive committee meeting was held on the on the very day the ballot closed. Why would they go to all this trouble if the other two [close to Maryam] won?

The new enforcer that Eslamdoust appointed has been trying to find anything, anything they can use against Duncan Bates. TSSA is being run by a clique of about 8 people and they’ll do anything to protect them.

Steve Coe.

Coe, saying Eslamdoust’s actions have left him with nothing to lose, has spoken to Skwawkbox on the record about the events surrounding this year’s presidential/treasurer election – and her alleged treatment of him in breach of the union’s rules.

The ruling clique doesn’t have the support of branches and conference, they clearly don’t have the support of staff and the members have spoken and chosen to elect Paul and Duncan.

Of course that threatens the power that the ruling clique have got and they’re desperately, desperately trying to stop it.

Steve Coe.

Based on Mr Coe’s allegations, Skwawkbox sent the following to the union for comment yesterday:

Further to my enquiry last week, to which you did not respond, former assistant AGS Steve Coe has gone on record to say that:

• TSSA management was aware that the Bates-Mangan ticket had won the election and this is the reason both that the election results have been withheld and for the suspension and other actions against one of the candidates, which he described as ‘using every trick in the book to block democracy’
• that this was done without the approval of the TSSA EC required by rule
• that their election threatens Ms Eslamdoust’s ‘power base’ in the union and this drove the action
• that the excuse for declaring Duncan Bates ineligible – which has been alluded to in a recent circular to members – is because his job title includes the word ‘driver’. [Train] Drivers are not eligible, but his employer confirmed in writing that he is not a driver, the title is an anachronism
• that Mr Bates was suspended, as soon as the election closed, on the basis of a supposed ‘serious’ complaint, without being given any detail what the complaints were, in contravention of TSSA’s code of practice
• that the union is spending significant sums on a barrister to investigate the complaints
• that Mr Coe was denied the opportunity to present his case in his own suspension to the recent conference, in violation of rule, and that he has been told by Ms Eslamdoust that he will not be allowed to do so at next year’s conference
• that her excuse for this is that it might upset his accusers, a contravention of natural justice
• that Ms E’s answer during the GS election to Coe’s question about her lack of union experience was to ask whether he had ‘had your equalities training’
• that he was told during an investigation meeting that it was ‘racist’ to question her lack of experience
• that his suspension, after taking a year to decide on action, is for three years
• that Ms E and co are continuing the bullying and abuse highlighted by the Kennedy Report

Given your failure to respond to my previous enquiry more than a week ago, I will wait until this evening to publish to give you a last chance to respond, but please provide anything you wish to put on record no later than 5pm today.

No answer was received.

I was told by the treasurer, you can’t ask [Maryam] questions like what is your experience because that’s racist. Maryam asked me “Have you had your equalities training?”

Steve Coe.

The earlier enquiry referred to above, which remains unanswered after nine days and was not based on the Coe discussion, which took place later, was this:

As you’ll be aware, there has been controversy over the failure of the TSSA’s management to release the results of the union’s recent elections for the position of president and treasurer. Please confirm by close of business today:

• when the results of the elections will be released
• whether any data on the likely result was shared with TSSA’s management prior to the close of the ballot on 30th April 2025
• Some 30 minutes from the closing of the ballots the management claimed that a ‘serious’ complaint has been submitted regarding a candidate. The incumbents’ terms expire at the end of June with the new appointees due to start on 1st July, but members are still waiting to find out who will be representing them, well after the declaration was supposed to take place. Does TSSA have any comment on this?
• The complaint announcement was made by Paul Atkinson, newly appointed Head of Legal and Governance. Mr Atkinson represented Manuel Cortes and Luke Chester and has been accused of being a scab. Why was he appointed to this senior position?
• Also, please advise why Ms Eslamdoust’s husband [who is not a TSSA member] was permitted to attend the recent conference in Belfast, where he was seen with a camera, when members who were not delegates were excluded.

In 2023, Maryam Eslamdoust attacked Skwawkbox for scrutinising her lack of experience and accused Skwawkbox of misquoting her claimed experience. The claims were entirely accurate.

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