TSSA ‘saddened’ at Andy McDonald resignation

TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has expressed dismay at the resignation of Andy McDonald from Labour’s Shadow Cabinet and praised him for his work on the front bench in Parliament. 

McDonald quit as Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections, during the Party’s Conference in Brighton, saying he had been asked to argue against a £15 an hour national minimum wage and higher statutory sick pay. 

Responding, TSSA leader Cortes said: “It’s sad to see Andy leave his post because he has proven time and again to be a doughty fighter for working people. 

“Our union worked closely with Andy during his time as Shadow Transport Secretary and saw first-hand his deep commitment to social justice, not just in transport policy but across the board. 

“This was demonstrated again in his most recent role around employment rights, which has never been more important than in the teeth of a pandemic. 

“Andy is a man of principle and honour to his boots. Our union thanks him for all his work and though we are dismayed to see him leave his post, we look forward to working closely with him in the future." 

"Frankly, our leadership needs to realise that our Party is a broad church and we need more people with Andy's type of politics on our frontbench not less". 

ENDS