Transport union leader faces investigation into ‘unwanted sexual advances’

A RAIL union boss is facing a backlash over allegations of sexual harassment as he announces a new wave of planned strikes across the rail network.

Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), has been accused of putting his arm around a female colleague and asking her to kiss him at a Christmas party.

Claire Laycock, a former union organiser based in Yorkshire, posted a video online in which she says Mr Cortes also invited her to “go outside” with him at the festive event.

Her allegations have led to METU Women, a group named after the Me Too movement but targeting “sexual violence in the trade union [TU] movement”, to call for Mr Cortes to resign from the TSSA.

The group met with Trades Union Congress (TUC) bosses on Wednesday to urge them also to sack Mr Cortes from its national executive committee.

The METU campaign comes as the TSSA, which represents white-collar control room and maintenance workers, announced yesterday it was to ballot hundreds of workers for industrial action against Avanti West Coast over a pay dispute.

It also emerged that train drivers belonging to the Aslef union at Hull Trains, Greater Anglia and on Croydon Tramlink will strike on six separate days over June and July.

Mr Cortes, 55, promised the summer of disruption would be “unparalleled” as unions “came out together” to “coordinate action”.

Earlier this week, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced industrial action at 13 train companies expected to bring the rail network to a halt later this month. The RMT and Unite have also promised a walk out on the London Underground on June 21.

Speaking about the Avanti West Coast action, which would affect services from London Euston to Birmingham, Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow, Mr Cortes said his staff were asking for “some basic fair treatment”, including not to be sacked as well as a “fair” pay rise.

Last month, Ms Laycock claimed Mr Cortes had made unwanted sexual advances towards her at a pub Christmas party in 2018.

A TSSA source said Mr Cortes had vehemently denied the allegations, but admitted drinking at the party. The union investigated Ms Laycock’s allegations twice but found her claims were not upheld.

The union was criticised for using a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to stop the former employee repeating allegations against its general secretary. The confidentiality clause was part of a compromise agreement signed in November as part of Ms Laycock’s settlement.

But, METU Women has since rallied behind Ms Laycock saying those “complicit in covering up” her allegations should also be “forced to leave – with no golden handshake”.

The TSSA has since dropped any legal moves to enforce the NDA.

In a series of tweets issued on the day of the meeting with the TUC, the METU Women said they were “disappointed and angry” that neither Frances O’grady, the TUC general secretary, nor Sue Ferns, its president, attended.

“We are yet to see any action taken to remove perpetrators from positions of power,” they said, adding: “We are here to ask for action to be taken and hold hope that we move forward in rooting out sexism and sexual harassment in our movement.”

Their statement adds: “To be without doubt – we have no faith in TSSA’S ability to deal with this fairly with no involvement from those who have been complicit over many years.”

A TSSA spokesman said union representatives had met with the TUC to establish an independent investigation into Ms Laycock’s claims.

She added that Mr Cortes, who has “voluntarily stepped back from discussion and decision making around these issues”, fully supported the independent investigation.

A TUC spokesman said it “stands against all forms of sexual harassment”.

Both Ms Laycock and the wider Metu Women movement have received support from Zelda Perkins, the former assistant to the disgraced Harvey Weinstein media mogul whom she claimed repeatedly targeted her.

‘We have no faith in TSSA’S ability to deal with this fairly with no involvement from those who have been complicit’