TSSA125

TSSA125 – celebrating 125 years of salaried staffs trade unionism in transport and travel

TSSA was founded at a meeting held in the Wilberforce Café on The Wicker, Sheffield, as the National Association of General Railway Clerks on 9 May 1897.

The new union renamed itself the Railway Clerks’ Association (RCA) shortly afterwards in 1899. To reflect the changing nature of its membership, it was again renamed in 1951, becoming the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA).

So on 9 May 2022, TSSA will be 125 years old. This momentous occasion will be celebrated with a special event taking place in Sheffield – TSSA125. All members and former members are invited!

TSSA125 will be held at the Mercure St. Paul’s Hotel, from 1100 until 1600. After that, there will be a reception in the Town Hall followed by a formal dinner. These events will be attended by a number of high profile guests, some of whom will be speaking at the events.

TSSA125 will include an exhibition covering TSSA’s history, various stalls and exhibitors from a number of organisations to which the union is affiliated, as well as some of our Branches and Self Organised Groups.

A number of our guests will address the gathering, and the speeches will be punctuated by various entertainments.

A film about TSSA members is being made to mark the anniversary, and this will be shown at various points during the day. Filming will also take place on the day, and the filming will be added to the commemorative film, the final version being a snapshot of our union in its 125^th year.

A former London Transport Routemaster bus will be providing tours of the sites in Sheffield that are significant to the union and its members.

A number of other activities are being organised, possibly including a plaque being unveiled on the site where TSSA was founded, and a locomotive or train naming.

A commemorative hard copy souvenir publication and a commemorative badge will be provided to those attending TSSA125.

Members are being asked to contribute a head and shoulders portrait photo of themselves which will be turned into a photo mosaic/montage to be displayed at TSSA125.

Special TSSA125-branded promotional goods will be made available to members both on the day and in the run-up to the event.

A TSSA125 Facebook page has been set up to keep everyone up to date with the latest developments around the event, and a Twitter hashtag #TSSA125 will be used to identify tweets relating to the event.

The day will of course be an opportunity for TSSA members past and present to meet socially.

Annual Conference will be meeting either side of 9 May and conference delegates are being encouraged to participate in the proceedings.

For those arriving early, there will be a social event on the evening of Sunday 8 May.

A TSSA Executive Committee Working Group has been established to oversee the celebrations, comprising of Mick Carney (President), Gemma Southgate (EC Member for Wales & Western), Melissa Heywood (EC Member for Midlands), and Nicola Jukes (EC Member for North East).