Transport workers back “common sense” Corbyn in leadership contest

The Transport and Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) is the latest worker’s body to back Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership contest.

The executive of 20,000-strong TSSA, which represents the workers in the transport sector, unanimously decided to nominate the current leader in this summer’s battle for the top job.

The workers’ body is the third Labour-affiliated union to endorse a candidate. The CWU has also backed Corbyn, while Community today got behind rival Owen Smith – as revealed on LabourList.

Manuel Cortes, the union’s general secretary, said the leader had a “common sense approach” to transport which was in the best interests of his members.

“Jeremy Corbyn’s support for public ownership of the railways and his call for the immediate scrapping of the failed Southern Rail franchise resonates with rail workers and passengers alike.

“His common sense approach to ensuring that our transport systems are run in the interests of the public first are popular, sensible, and have support the length and breadth of Britain.

“His plan to enhance rights at work, including mandatory collective bargaining for companies over 250 employees, would provide far better protections for many workers in the transport industry leading to higher earnings, better pensions and a better work life balance. Jeremy’s commitment to a public investment led growth strategy, is exactly what our Union has advocated for transport infrastructure.”

Cortes has previously spoken out in favour of Jeremy Corbyn, saying the leader had changed the tone of politics and that his prosperity agenda will lead Labour to power at the next general election.

The general secretary recently labelled journalist Owen Jones as “back-stabbing”  for questioning the efficacy of Corbyn’s leadership. He said Jones was motivated by the “petulant resentment” of “a celeb no longer quite as centre-stage as he was accustomed to being”.