TSSA 125 celebrations

TSSA will be 125 years old on 9 May and our union will be celebrating this important milestone in our history. Our union was founded in Sheffield in 1897, and we are returning to the city of our birth to mark our anniversary by holding celebratory events during our 2022 Annual Conference at the Mercure St Pauls Hotel, Sheffield. 

A Special Delegate Conference will be held on Friday 6 May, and the 2022 Annual Conference will commence at noon on the following day, Saturday 7 May. It will then continue on Sunday 8 May, adjourn at the conclusion of business on that Sunday, and resume on Tuesday 10 May. This will allow the 125th anniversary date – Monday 9 May – to be free for celebrations! 

Monday 9 May, 1100 until 1600: TSSA125 event – open to all members, just turn up! 

On Monday 9 May, we shall be celebrating by holding a special event at the Mercure St Pauls Hotel. This will include an exhibition setting out our history, films will be shown, and there will be 17 stalls, exhibition stands, and various entertainments. 

The proceedings will be punctuated by a number of VIP guest speakers. A bus tour of Sheffield will be available using a former London Transport Routemaster bus, which will take in sites important to TSSA and its members. Watch the TSSA website for further details. 

All TSSA members and former members are invited to attend. Please encourage your colleagues to come along.

Monday 9 May, 1800 until 1930: Drinks Reception

There will be a drinks reception in Sheffield Town Hall which is adjacent to the Mercure St Pauls Hotel. 

All Annual Conference delegates, the Executive Committee, the Standing Orders Committee, and present and former TSSA staff are invited to the reception, along with our VIP guests. 

Monday 9 May, 1930 until late: Dinner Dance 

A formal dinner dance will take place at the Mercure St Pauls Hotel to mark the anniversary. 

There will be speakers at the dinner, and afterwards attendees will be entertained by comedian Mark Thomas and then a local band, Montuno. The dinner dance will also be attended by a number of VIP guests including MPs and senior officials of other trade union bodies. 

All Annual Conference delegates, the Executive Committee, the Standing Orders Committee, along with VIP guests and present TSSA staff, are invited to attend the dinner dance without charge. Individuals wishing to attend the dinner dance MUST inform Steve Coe by email at coes@tssa.org.uk NO LATER THAN TUESDAY 19 APRIL 2022 should they wish to attend. 

Should anyone else wish to attend, places are now offered at £20.00 a head. Demand for the dinner is expected to be high, places are limited, and those wishing to attend should book their place as soon as possible. Priority will be given to the guests of Annual Conference delegates, the Executive Committee, and the Standing Orders Committee, and places will then be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. 

Individuals wishing to attend the dinner dance or bring along a guest MUST inform Steve Coe by email at coes@tssa.org.uk NO LATER THAN TUESDAY 19 APRIL 2022. 

Please note that TSSA will not be able to provide hotel accommodation for the dinner guests of Annual Conference delegates, the Executive Committee, and the Standing Orders Committee, or for others attending the dinner dance. Should hotel accommodation be required, you are advised to check availability at the Novotel which is next to the Mercure St Pauls Hotel, and at the nearby Ibis hotels

Speakers and Entertainments

There were speakers throughout the day, punctuated by entertainment provided by Banner Theatre and comedian Mark Thomas.

Melissa Heywood and Gemma Southgate, members of TSSA’s Executive Committee, ran the stage, introducing the speakers and entertainment.

The running order was:

11:10             Mick Carney, President, TSSA

11:15             Gerry Doherty, former General Secretary, TSSA

11:25             Mick Whelan, General Secretary, ASLEF

11:35             Katy Clark, Member of the Scottish Parliament

11:55             Banner Theatre performance

12:40             Richard Rosser, former General Secretary, TSSA

12:50             Loraine Martins, Global Lead for Diversity and Inclusion, Nichols (a consultancy of strategic transformation specialists) and former Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Network Rail

13:05             Eoin Coates, Head of Aviation, European Transport Workers Federation (ETF)

13:25             Performance by comedian Mark Thomas

13:55             Ian Prosser, Chief Inspector of Railways and Director Railway Safety, Office for Rail and Road (ORR)

14:05             Rozanne Foyer, General Secretary, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC)

14:15             Paul Nowak, Deputy General Secretary, Trades Union Congress (TUC

14:25             Alana Dave, Urban Transport Director, International Transport Workers Federation (ITF)

14:35             Thomas O'Connor, Deputy General Secretary, National Bus & Rail Union (Ireland)

15:00             Banner Theatre performance

15:45             Manuel Cortes, General Secretary, TSSA