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TfL bosses' ridiculous attempt at union busting backfire spectacularly

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) bosses made fools of themselves today when their heavy-handed attempt at union-busting tactics backfired spectacularly.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes and fellow union members were on a scheduled promotion visit outside TfL offices when three police officers arrived saying that TfL had asked for them to remove TSSA members from the area.

But TfL commissioner Mike Brown ended up in hot water after the TSSA made a quick phone call to London’s new deputy mayor for transport Heidi Alexander, who told Mr Brown to back off and reminded him that TfL cannot interfere with the union’s right to promote itself to transport workers.

But TfL kept digging, blaming the police presence on the building’s landlord, despite security guards telling Mr Cortes that TfL bosses had asked for them to move TSSA members on.

 A TfL spokeswoman told the Star that the landlord had mistakenly thought there was a protest taking place on its property and called the police.

Mr Cortes said: “What happened to us today shows just how anti-union TfL bosses, all handpicked by [Tory former mayor] Boris Johnson, are.

“These TfL fat cats ought to smell the coffee. The Tories no longer run our capital city. Our Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan is proud of the work trade unions do on behalf of ordinary Londoners.

“It also shows the arrogant lengths TfL are prepared to go to to stop their staff from joining our union. It’s time for TfL to turn a new page by allowing the largest union within the company into their buildings — no more ifs, buts or maybes.

“Their efforts to union-bust have no place in the 21st century, even under the Tories’ hostile environment for unions. For trying this on, in a Labour-run authority, heads should now roll.”

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