Transport Salaried Staffs' Association
Encyclopedia
The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) is a trade union
for "white collar
" workers in the transport industry in the United Kingdom
and the Republic of Ireland
. Its head office is adjacent to Euston station
, London
, it has branch offices located in Dublin and Glasgow
, and staff also located in Leeds
, Manchester
, Nottingham
and Bristol
.
As of 2003 it has about 30,000 members in the UK and 2,000 members in Ireland. 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. At the start of the 21st century it was actively recruiting new members in the travel trade, such as employees of Turkish Airlines
in London
.
Individual members are allocated to branches. Historically branches were organised geographically and by grade, e.g. Liverpool; Dublin No. 1; Crewe No. 4 Technical; Crewe Management Staffs (the separate branches for different grades of staff were so that people with grievances against their managers wouldn't find those same managers as members of their branch). In Ireland, branches are still organised on this basis, but in the UK starting in 1998 there was a reorganisation such that members of most branches are employed by a single company e.g. Virgin Midlands - this was required in the fragmented world of the privatised railway because the private companies would not allow access for non-employees onto their premises.
Branches are in turn allocated to divisions - there are 14 geographical divisions, plus one for London Transport. Each division has a Divisional Council which meets at least twice a year, and members in each division elect a member of the Executive Committee (EC). EC members are elected for a three-year term, subject to a maximum of two consecutive terms of office (but can stand again after 3 years off the committee). The EC meets approximately 10 times a year in London and continuously during the four-day annual conference held each May. The EC is responsible for the efficient running of the union, the employment of staff (of whom there are about 70), the oversight of the union's finances, and the implementation of decisions of Annual Conference.
The Annual Conference is the supreme decision-making body of the union. Each branch sends one delegate to the Conference, unless a branch has more than 200 members in which case it has two delegates. Each branch can submit two motions and two amendments to motions to the Conference Agenda, and once every five years can submit two amendments to the union's Rule Book.
Organisation in Ireland is slightly different. All of Ireland forms one Division. As trade union law in the Republic of Ireland forbids trades unions from being run by people not resident on the island of Ireland the EC and Annual Conference cannot directly control the association's activity in the republic as they do in Britain. Instead, the Irish Divisional Council is constituted as the "Irish Committee" and chaired by the EC member for Ireland, and it operates in a similar manner to the EC. There is a biennial Irish Conference of delegates from all the Irish branches, to set policy solely relating to Ireland. When Irish branches want the Annual Conference to do something, motions to Annual Conference are normally phrased as 'requests' that the Irish Committee consider doing something rather than as the more normal 'instructions' that the Executive Committee do something.
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, and in 1951 it adopted its current name.
The early years were difficult. The third General Secretary, John Stopford-Challener, shot himself in Paris
's Bois de Boulogne
in 1906; it was only after his suicide that it was discovered that he had absconded with the union's money. After this came the era of A.G. Walkden, who as General Secretary for 30 years led the union to the peak of its influence; the head office in London, built in the early 1960s, is named after him. The railway companies refused to recognise the trade unions until after the strike of 1919, but after that time membership rose steadily, to a peak of some 91,500 in the early 1950s. The subsequent closure of uneconomic railway lines, the Beeching axe
, and especially the computerisation of railway offices led to large scale reductions in the eligible membership. Membership was around 75,000 in 1970, 71,000 in 1980, and 39,000 in 1990. There was a rapid loss of around 25% of its membership in the mid to late 1990s because the grades of staff covered by the union were the ones hardest hit when British Rail
was broken up from 1994 onwards; however the Executive Committee adopted a policy of seeking to vigorously recruit additional members particularly in those areas such as travel agencies which had not been the principal focus of the union in the past. This has led to more stable membership figures, including a small increase at the turn of the century.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
for "white collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
" workers in the transport industry in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Its head office is adjacent to Euston station
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, it has branch offices located in Dublin and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and staff also located in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
As of 2003 it has about 30,000 members in the UK and 2,000 members in Ireland. 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. At the start of the 21st century it was actively recruiting new members in the travel trade, such as employees of Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building on the grounds of Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakirköy district, Istanbul...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Organisation
Branches are in turn allocated to divisions - there are 14 geographical divisions, plus one for London Transport. Each division has a Divisional Council which meets at least twice a year, and members in each division elect a member of the Executive Committee (EC). EC members are elected for a three-year term, subject to a maximum of two consecutive terms of office (but can stand again after 3 years off the committee). The EC meets approximately 10 times a year in London and continuously during the four-day annual conference held each May. The EC is responsible for the efficient running of the union, the employment of staff (of whom there are about 70), the oversight of the union's finances, and the implementation of decisions of Annual Conference.
The Annual Conference is the supreme decision-making body of the union. Each branch sends one delegate to the Conference, unless a branch has more than 200 members in which case it has two delegates. Each branch can submit two motions and two amendments to motions to the Conference Agenda, and once every five years can submit two amendments to the union's Rule Book.
Organisation in Ireland is slightly different. All of Ireland forms one Division. As trade union law in the Republic of Ireland forbids trades unions from being run by people not resident on the island of Ireland the EC and Annual Conference cannot directly control the association's activity in the republic as they do in Britain. Instead, the Irish Divisional Council is constituted as the "Irish Committee" and chaired by the EC member for Ireland, and it operates in a similar manner to the EC. There is a biennial Irish Conference of delegates from all the Irish branches, to set policy solely relating to Ireland. When Irish branches want the Annual Conference to do something, motions to Annual Conference are normally phrased as 'requests' that the Irish Committee consider doing something rather than as the more normal 'instructions' that the Executive Committee do something.
History
The union was founded in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
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, and in 1951 it adopted its current name.
The early years were difficult. The third General Secretary, John Stopford-Challener, shot himself in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
's Bois de Boulogne
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne is a park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine...
in 1906; it was only after his suicide that it was discovered that he had absconded with the union's money. After this came the era of A.G. Walkden, who as General Secretary for 30 years led the union to the peak of its influence; the head office in London, built in the early 1960s, is named after him. The railway companies refused to recognise the trade unions until after the strike of 1919, but after that time membership rose steadily, to a peak of some 91,500 in the early 1950s. The subsequent closure of uneconomic railway lines, the Beeching axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, and especially the computerisation of railway offices led to large scale reductions in the eligible membership. Membership was around 75,000 in 1970, 71,000 in 1980, and 39,000 in 1990. There was a rapid loss of around 25% of its membership in the mid to late 1990s because the grades of staff covered by the union were the ones hardest hit when British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
was broken up from 1994 onwards; however the Executive Committee adopted a policy of seeking to vigorously recruit additional members particularly in those areas such as travel agencies which had not been the principal focus of the union in the past. This has led to more stable membership figures, including a small increase at the turn of the century.
List of General Secretaries
- Charles Bassett-Vincent (9 May 1897 - 15 May 1898)
- John Hereford (15 May 1898 - 13 November 1898)
- John Stopford-Challener (18 June 1899 - 12 March 1906 suicide)
- William J. West JP (Acting) (12 March 1906 - 30 June 1906)
- Alexander WalkdenAlexander WalkdenAlexander George Walkden, 1st Baron Walkden was a British trade union leader and Labour politician.-Trade unionism:...
JP MP (1 July 1906 - 30 June 1936) - William Stott (1 July 1936 - 31 August 1940)
- Charles Gallie (1 September 1940 - 9 November 1947)
- Fred Bostock (10 November 1947 - 13 July 1948)
- Percy Heady (14 July 1948 - 31 August 1949)
- George Thorneycroft (1 September 1949 - 31 May 1953)
- Bill Webber CBE MA (1 June 1953 - 31 December 1962)
- John Bothwell CBE (1 January 1963 - 7 January 1968)
- Percy Coldrick OBE (8 January 1968 - 6 June 1973)
- Dave Mackenzie (7 June 1973 - 4 January 1977)
- Tom BradleyTom Bradley (UK politician)Thomas George Bradley was a British politician.Kettering-born, Bradley was educated at Kettering Central School and worked in the mines during World War II...
MP (acting) (8 January 1977 - 30 April 1977) - Tom JenkinsTom JenkinsThomas Wayne Jenkins is an American golfer.Jenkins was born in Houston, Texas. He attended the University of Houston, where he was a member of the winning 1970 NCAA Division I golf team. He graduated in 1971 and turned professional. His only PGA Tour victory was the 1975 IVB-Philadelphia Golf...
CBE MCIT (1 May 1977 - 28 August 1982) - Bert LyonsBert Lyons (trade unionist)Charles Albert "Bert" Lyons was General Secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association and a member of the General Council of the Trades Unions Congress.-Railway career:...
(29 August 1982 - 26 February 1989) - Richard Rosser JP (27 February 1989 - 29 February 2004)
- Gerry Doherty (1 March 2004 - 14 November 2011)
- Manuel Cortes (15 November 2011 - Present)
List of presidents
- Alderman J. Batty LangleyJ. Batty LangleyJ. Batty Langley was a British Liberal Party politician.Born in Uppingham, Langley became a wealthy timber merchant in Sheffield, and one of the city's most prominent non-conformists. He was elected to Sheffield Town Council, serving many years and becoming an alderman.In 1892, Langley became...
JP MP (1897–1898) - W. D. Leaver (1899–1900)
- Sir Fortescue Flannery Bart. JP MP (1900–1906)
- Alderman William J. West JP (1906–1908)
- George LathanGeorge LathanGeorge Lathan was a British trade unionist and politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Park from 1929 to 1931 and from 1935 until his death....
(1908–1912) - H. G. Romeril (1912–1916)
- W. E. Williams (1916–1919)
- T. H. Gill JP MP (1919–1932)
- Alderman F. B. SimpsonFred Simpson (politician)Frederick Brown Simpson was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Nottingham and in 1922 Simpson was elected to Leeds City Council as an alderman, and in 1931 was Lord Mayor of the city...
(1932–1937) - Frederick Watkins JP MP (1937–1943)
- Alderman Percy MorrisPercy MorrisPercy Morris CBE JP was a British railway clerk, trade unionist and politician who became Mayor of Swansea and represented the town in Parliament...
JP MP (1943–1953) - J. Haworth (1953–1956)
- Ray GunterRay GunterRaymond Jones Gunter , British Labour Party politician, was born in Wales and had a background in the railway industry and the British trade union movement – specifically his union, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association .After seeing active service in the Second World War, enlisting in the...
MP (1956–1964) - Tom G. BradleyTom Bradley (UK politician)Thomas George Bradley was a British politician.Kettering-born, Bradley was educated at Kettering Central School and worked in the mines during World War II...
MP (October 1964- May 1965 (acting); 1965–1977) - Walter JohnsonWalter Johnson (UK politician)Walter Hamlet Johnson was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Hertford, Johnson was Member of Parliament for Derby South from 1970 to 1983, preceding Margaret Beckett. He was an assistant government whip from 1974 to 1975. Johnson was part funded by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association...
MP (January–May 1977 (acting); (1977–1981) - Jim Mills (1981–1987)
- Geoff Henman (1987–1993)
- Brenda Hanks (February–May 1993 (acting); 1993–1997)
- David Horton JP (1997–2001)
- David Porter (2001–2005)
- Andy Bain (2005–present)
List of Treasurers
Note: Until 1906 the General Secretary also controlled the unions' funds. John Stopford-Challener's embezzlement proved that this was an unwise arrangement and the office of National Treasurer was then instituted.- J. M. Roberts (1906–1920)
- W. E. Williams (1920–1927)
- A. E. Townend (1927–1934)
- Frederick Watkins JP MP (1934–1937)
- Percy MorrisPercy MorrisPercy Morris CBE JP was a British railway clerk, trade unionist and politician who became Mayor of Swansea and represented the town in Parliament...
JP (1937–1943) - J. Haworth MP (1943–1953)
- Ray J. Gunter MP (1953–1956)
- Lord LindgrenGeorge Lindgren, Baron LindgrenGeorge Samuel Lindgren, JP, DL was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Islington, London, at the 1935 general election, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the safe Conservative seat of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, coming a distant second with 36.7% of the votes.At the 1945 general election,...
(1956–1961) - Tom G. Bradley MP (1961–1965)
- Walter JohnsonWalter Johnson (UK politician)Walter Hamlet Johnson was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Hertford, Johnson was Member of Parliament for Derby South from 1970 to 1983, preceding Margaret Beckett. He was an assistant government whip from 1974 to 1975. Johnson was part funded by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association...
MP (1965–1977) - J. Newall (January–May 1977 (acting))
- Jim MillsJim MillsJames Anthony Mills is a former American football and Canadian football offensive lineman....
(1977–1981) - Stanley CohenStanley Cohen (politician)Stanley Cohen was a British Labour Party politician. He was on the trade unionist right-wing of the party during the early 1980s struggle for control of the party, and as such suffered deselection at the hands of his constituency party.Cohen was educated at St. Patrick and St. Charles Roman...
MP (1981–1984) - Geoff Henman (1984–1987)
- Brenda Hanks (1987–1993)
- Peter Holloway (February–May 1993 (acting))
- David Horton JP (1993–1997)
- David Porter (1997–2001)
- Annie Breen (2001-May 2004)
- Amarjit Singh (May–September 2004 (acting))
- Andy Bain (September 2004-May 2005)
- Amarjit Singh (June 2005-2007)
- Harriet YeoHarriet YeoHarriet Yeo is a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician. She is a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, and National Treasurer of TSSA. She served as a Labour councillor in Ashford, Kent.-References:...
(2007-)