Transport Salaried Staffs' Association

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) is a trade union for workers in the transport and travel industries in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its head office is in London, and it has regional offices in Bristol, Derby, Dublin, York and Glasgow.

TSSA has approximately 18,000 members in the UK and Ireland.<ref name="assets.publishing.service.gov.uk">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While principally a union for people in the railway industry, the effect of the nationalisation and subsequent privatisations following the Second World War has meant that it has members working for railway companies, shipping companies, bus companies, travel agencies, airlines, call centres, and IT companies.

TSSA's former headquarters

History

The union was founded in Sheffield in 1897 as the National Association of General Railway Clerks, although it was a narrow decision to found the union. The railway companies were strongly opposed to trade unions and two earlier attempts to form a clerks' union had failed and, discouraged, the organisers decided by a majority of only one vote to try a third time - this time successfully. In 1899 it was renamed the Railway Clerks' Association (RCA), and in 1951 it adopted its current name.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The union has been involved in at least one London Underground strike, between 6 and 7 September 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In July 2015, TSSA endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.<ref name="tssa">Template:Cite news</ref> TSSA National Political Officer, Sam Tarry spearheaded Corbyn's second leadership campaign.<ref name=iaindale-20160924>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In September 2021, TSSA announced that it was in talks about merging the union with the North American Boilermakers Union with the viewpoint of completing the merger by 1 July 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2022, union representatives voted by 88% to agree to the merger,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> however the Boilermakers withdrew from the merger later in the year.

In early 2022, the union was granted an injunction on an employee who has accused Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the TSSA of sexual harassment and of bullying by senior staff members. Cortes claimed that he had no memory of the evening due to excessive drinking. The injunction forbade the woman from talking about the alleged harassment and bullying.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later that year an inquiry was opened into the union, led by Helena Kennedy KC, to examine allegations of sexual harassment and bullying towards women within the union,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with Manuel Cortes resigning with immediate effect a month later.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Kennedy inquiry reported in February 2023 that the union had seen a culture of sexual harassment and sexual assault over the course of several years along with coercive behaviour. Kennedy called for several senior leaders of the union to resign and that external auditors should be brought in to examine the union's finances.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> An earlier critical report which concluded that equality, diversity and inclusion objectives were not being met was not made public until February 2023.<ref name=novara-20230222>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=tssa-20220813>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In May 2023 TSSA members elected a new President, Melissa Heywood, and Treasurer, Mary Sithole.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was the first time TSSA had elected women to both National Officer positions at the same time. Later in 2023 TSSA members elected a new General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust, who was the first woman and the first person of colour to hold the post.<ref name="PHI">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="MEES"/>

The 2025 election for President and Treasurer was held in April 2025, but later TSSA announced the presidential election would be re-run and the re-run finished in October 2025.<ref name=tssa-20250416>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=canary-20251113>Template:Cite news</ref>

Office holders

General Secretaries

Peter Pendle, Joint Interim General Secretary, standing in TSSA Headquarters, 2023.

1897: Charles Bassett-Vincent<ref name="gensec">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1898: John Hereford<ref name="gensec" />

1898: F. Parrish (acting)<ref name="gensec" />

1899: John Stopford Challener<ref name="gensec" />

1906: William J. West (acting)<ref name="gensec" />

1906: Alexander Walkden<ref name="gensec" />

1936: William Stott<ref name="gensec" />

1940: Charles Gallie<ref name="gensec" />

1947: Fred Bostock<ref name="gensec" />

1948: Percy Heady (acting)<ref name="gensec" />

1949: George Thorneycroft<ref name="gensec" />

1953: Bill Webber<ref name="gensec" />

1963: John Bothwell<ref name="gensec" />

1968: Percy Coldrick<ref name="gensec" />

1973: David Mackenzie<ref name="gensec" />

1977: Tom Bradley (acting)<ref name="gensec" />

1977: Tom Jenkins<ref name="gensec" />

1982: Bert Lyons<ref name="gensec" />

1989: Richard Rosser<ref name="gensec" />

2004: Gerry Doherty

2011: Manuel Cortes<ref name=gc-20161202>Template:Cite news</ref>

2022: Frank Ward (acting)

2023: Peter Pendle (Interim Joint General Secretary)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2023: Maryam Eslamdoust<ref name="MEES">Template:Cite news</ref>

Presidents

1897: J. Batty Langley<ref name="presidents">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1899: W. D. Leaver<ref name="presidents" />

1900: Fortescue Flannery<ref name="presidents" />

1906: William J. West<ref name="presidents" />

1908: George Lathan<ref name="presidents" />

1912: Herbert Romeril<ref name="presidents" />

1916: W. E. Williams<ref name="presidents" />

1919: Harry Gill<ref name="presidents" />

1932: Fred Simpson<ref name="presidents" />

1937: Frederick Watkins<ref name="presidents" />

1943: Percy Morris<ref name="presidents" />

1953: James Haworth<ref name="presidents" />

1956: Ray Gunter<ref name="presidents" />

1964: Tom Bradley<ref name="presidents" />

1977: Walter Johnson<ref name="presidents" />

1981: Jim Mills<ref name="presidents" />

1987: Geoff Henman<ref name="presidents" />

1993: Brenda Hanks <ref name="presidents" />

1997: David Horton<ref name="presidents" />

2001: David Porter<ref name="presidents" />

2005: Andy Bain

2011: Harriet Yeo

2013: Mick Carney

2023: Marios Alexandrou

2023: Melissa Heywood

Treasurers

1906: J. M. Roberts<ref name="treasurers">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1920: W. E. Williams<ref name="treasurers" />

1927: Arnold Townend<ref name="treasurers" />

1934: Frederick Watkins MP<ref name="treasurers" />

1937: Percy Morris<ref name="treasurers" />

1943: James Haworth MP<ref name="treasurers" />

1953: Ray Gunter MP<ref name="treasurers" />

1956: Lord Lindgren<ref name="treasurers" />

1961: Tom G. Bradley MP<ref name="treasurers" />

1965: Walter Johnson MP<ref name="treasurers" />

1977: Jock Newall (acting)<ref name="treasurers" />

1977: Jim Mills<ref name="treasurers" />

1981: Stanley Cohen MP<ref name="treasurers" />

1984: Geoff Henman<ref name="treasurers" />

1987: Brenda Hanks<ref name="treasurers" />

1993: Peter Holloway (acting)<ref name="treasurers" />

1993: David Horton<ref name="treasurers" />

1997: David Porter<ref name="treasurers" />

2001: Annie Breen<ref name="treasurers" />

2004: Amarjit Singh (acting)<ref name="treasurers" />

2004: Andy Bain<ref name="treasurers" />

2005: Harriet Yeo<ref name="treasurers" />

2011: Mick Carney

2013: Andy Bain

2015: Jason Turvey

2019: Al Stoten

2023: Nicola Jukes

2023: Mary Sithole

External links

• TSSA British website
• TSSA Irish website Template:Webarchive
• Single or Return - the official history of the TSSA Template:Webarchive
• Catalogue of the TSSA archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick