TSSA union lurches into another scandal – as it forks out pay to suspended staff member

Maryam Eslamdoust’s dismal tenure at the head of the TSSA union has lurched into another scandal after the Telegraph belatedly picked up on revelations broken more than a year ago by Skwawkbox about TSSA continuing to fork out cash to Lorraine Ward, a TSSA official suspended for her part in the mishandling of sexual harassment allegations in the union under its previous management regime.

TSSA Union: another scandal

Ward, an organising director with the union, is still on TSSA’s payroll two and a half years after the Kennedy Report exposed the sexual harassment and bullying scandal surrounding former TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes and his senior management team, having returned, after a lengthy suspension on full pay, following a long period on sick leave – within a few days of her sick pay falling to zero.

As the Telegraph noted:

Baroness Helena Kennedy KC said the organising director was part of a “locus of power” that sought to dismiss complaints of sexual harassment against Manuel Cortes, the union’s previous general secretary. The revelation will raise questions over the leadership of TSSA’s current boss, Maryam Eslamdoust, who was elected in October 2023 to clean up its internal culture.

One insider told The Telegraph: “There was such great hope and motivation that we could really transform the organisation after the Kennedy report, and start afresh.“ Almost from day one, [Eslamdoust] just does this thing where she sees enemies everywhere and everyone’s against her,” the person claimed.

Another insider alleged: “TSSA is an utter shambles they are dictators.” They added: “They are bullies they are just absolutely shocking in their behaviour and how they treat their staff as well.” A third described the union’s current management as “Stalinists”, while a fourth described them as “poisonous”. “They’re very power hungry even though they’re trade unionists and socialists and all that good stuff, they’re not nice,” said the fourth.

But Ward is far from the only former Cortes helper identified by the Kennedy Report to have been handsomely remunerated or paid off by the Eslamdoust regime that replaced them.

Far from the only case

Skwawkbox revealed last year that:

• Luke Chester, Cortes’s ‘anointed successor’, who was sacked in the wake of Kennedy’s findings of sexual harassment, is alleged to have been paid close to £100,000 to end his employment tribunal against the union – one that many have said he was considered to have little or no chance of winning
• Val Stansfield, the union’s former employment rights adviser who had spoken publicly in favour of banning the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), but allegedly used them on sexual harassment whistleblower Claire Laycock and others – and had been suspended on full pay for 16 months – is said to have received several tens of thousands of pounds to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Allegedly Stansfield had tendered her letter for retirement prior to being suspended but was kept on full pay from February 2023 pending investigation. Staff have been told she simply ‘retired’.
• the TSSA’s former President and Treasurer, who resigned in the wake of the report, allegedly received gold medals for their service to the union.

Union staff join another union and threaten strike

Workplace relations have become so bad that TSSA’s own staff have themselves joined another trade union and threatened to go on strike against their managers.

The GMB union said in September that there continues to be a culture of “bullying” and “harassment” at the TSSA’s London HQ, including a GMB representative being suspended from work. Ms Eslamdoust did not respond when asked by the Telegraph why she continues to employ Mrs Ward, who was also approached for comment. In her report, Baroness Kennedy said:

The TSSA’s culture is poor and the problem is at the top. Within the small circle of power, there seems to be a startling defensiveness and lack of care and compassion for staff.

The Labour peer has conducted multiple investigations on behalf of the party and its affiliated organisations over the years.

Management ‘bullied staff who complained’

Her report stated that TSSA’s five-strong senior management team – including Mrs Ward – would “bully people out of the organisation” if they spoke up against Cortes and his top lieutenants. Although he was fired for gross misconduct after the report’s publication by TSSA, Cortes has appealed against both his sacking and his ejection as a member of the union.

He is understood to deny all wrongdoing. Along with Mrs Ward, other senior officials who were suspended in 2023 included her husband Frank, who was then TSSA’s assistant general secretary, Cortes, and two others. All but Mrs Ward are no longer employed by the union.

Three insiders claimed Ms Eslamdoust has failed to create a policy against sexual harassment in the workplace, which was one of Baroness Kennedy’s 13 recommendations. Another recommendation, for so-called “360 degree reviews” into the union’s internal culture, has also not been implemented, insiders claimed. The report itself appears to have been deleted from TSSA’s website, in defiance of a public pledge to:

not suppress or shy away from the criticisms levelled at the union.

Ms Eslamdoust initially indicated she wanted to speak to the Telegraph, then failed to do so. She then failed to answer a dozen questions put to her by email, including about Mrs Ward’s current status within the union.

Maryam Eslamdoust: a dire tenure

Maryam Eslamdoust was elected as TSSA general secretary after being endorsed by the union’s executive despite apparently having no relevant experience. A former executive member has alleged that members were told there would be problems with a senior figure close to former general secretary Cortes if they did not endorse her and several have said they were told that she would “learn on the job”.

Her tenure has been so dire that the union has been dogged by staff industrial action, no confidence votes by staff and branches, and allegations that the bullying and harassment of the Cortes era has continued under her control:

• Senior union figures who have spoken critically of her actions have been summarily suspended just after receiving major union awards or being elected to senior positions and at least one staff member has allegedly been victimised.

• Staff were forced to go on strike against what they described as a continuation under Eslamdoust of the bullying, abuse and intimidation that was exposed under former general secretary Manuel Cortes – and they accused Eslamdoust of crossing their picket line on the first day of strike action

• Senior union figures who spoke critically of her actions were summarily suspended just after receiving major union awards or being elected to senior positions and at least one staff member was allegedly victimised.

Staff victimised to ‘silence dissent’ at the TSSA Union

The new general secretary even wrote to TSSA members attacking union staff, wrote a column in a newspaper accusing the union that represents TSSA staff at work of trying to take over TSSA and tried to bypass striking staff to negotiate an end to the strike directly with the GMB union’s management. The union’s conference descended into chaos last year after more than half of delegates – seemingly those critical of Eslamdoust – were prevented from entering and a conference no-confidence motion was blocked from debate and a vote.

Earlier this year, the union then smeared and suspended what insiders say were the winning candidates in TSSA’s elections for president and treasurer after allies of Eslamdoust lost heavily, and announced that the election would be re-run.

The allegations then continued last month with accusations by the GMB union that their rep, who represents TSSA staff at work and in their dispute, had been bullied and victimised to “silence dissent”. True to the form – shown when contacted by Skwawkbox for comment in earlier scandals – the union lashed out when approached by the Telegraph, with a TSSA spokesman claiming that reality is the opposite of what staff and insiders have described:

These claims are inaccurate and vexatious. Under new leadership, we are taking robust action to deal with bullies, harassers and bigots. The TSSA has expanded the budget for implementing the Kennedy and Conley recommendations and is working closely with external experts to deliver the changes set out in the report.

The Kennedy review is in the public domain and is readily available, but has been deleted from the TSSA website despite its claimed commitment to transparency.

Featured image via the Canary