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About Maryam Eslamdoust

Your candidate for TSSA General Secretary

I am an experienced trade union and labour movement professional, with a senior leadership background in equalities and driving major organisational change.

A social justice activist, I am fiercely committed to supporting BAME, Disabled, LGBTQ+ and Young people to live and work free of the scourge of discrimination.

I have a track record of advocacy for blacklisted workers and abused women. One of my proudest achievements in our movement is spending a significant period of time working to achieve justice for blacklisted construction workers.

Getting to know Maryam

Maryam obtained the number of nominations of any candidate for TSSA General Secretary, both from branches and as the only candidate to receive endorsement from the TSSA Executive Committee.

Passion for transport

From the earliest age I have been passionate about public transport. My brother was born blind, and from his childhood onwards the railways – and the assistance of TSSA’s station and train staff members – have been the cornerstone if his freedom and enjoyment of life. Before I knew that they were industrial, political, or public policy issues, my earliest experiences in campaigning were in fighting alongside him for accessibility, service improvement, and staffing levels on our transport networks.

Professional experience

I have held jobs at senior levels in the Labour Party, serving as secretary to (and running the department which was wider secretariat for) the NEC Equalities Committee, and convening several crucial joint committees between trade unions and frontbench politicians, on issues such as fire safety, Grenfell, and community wealth building.

Trade unionism

As well as working at high level in the labour and trade union movement, I am a long term trade union member and activist in my own right.

I’ve served as a workplace health and safety rep and branch officer during the pandemic investigating and inspecting hazards, ensuring that staff were not forced to work back in the office until it was safe to do so.

Fighting blacklisting

My proudest time in the trade union movement was the years I spent campaigning with, and then working for, the construction union UCATT.

I was part of a team working to achieve justice for trade union members who had been blacklisted just for asking for basic rights and safety at work.

Leadership

I was Mayor of Camden for two terms and as Camden’s first citizen welcomed the royals, the army, and foreign dignitaries to the borough. In 2019 I met with the Governor of Kagoshima and signed a friendship agreement to bind our two municipalities together for the advancement of our youth.

I have vast experience of working with young people and have worked closely with Young Labour to accomplish their goals. I will work with futureTSSA too to grow our younger membership if I’m lucky enough to get elected.

Fearless representative

I was an elected councillor in the London Borough of Camden for 12 years – fighting and campaigning for those I represented without fear or favour.

I secured policies to mitigate noise nuisance from buskers, to clean up the night time economy, secure vital protections for dancers in strip clubs and preventing the spread of exploitative betting shops on the borough’s high streets.

Maryam Eslamdoust for TSSA General Secretary

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