The Telegraph has revealed that senior UK trade union officials filed £8,500 ($11,335) in expenses for an unnecessary trip to Las Vegas in August 2022, which included spending £6,848 ($9,132) on restaurants. Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) senior officials, including then-general secretary Manuel Cortes, visited Sin City at a time when the union had an uncertain future. Their attempts to merge with a US-based union led to several all-expenses-paid trips to the US during that period.
US union telling them two days before departure that the merger wouldn’t be possible
Forensic accountants started looking into the union’s accounts after allegations of sexual harassment and bullying came to light in 2023. During this audit, they found significant instances of financial mismanagement and flagged the Nevada visit that saw officials stay at The Mirage Hotel & Casino for £1,175 ($1,567). The trip went ahead, costing business-class flights, accommodation, and expensive restaurant tabs, despite the US union telling them two days before departure that the merger wouldn’t be possible.
In response to the article in The Telegraph, the current TSSA leadership said that all of the people involved in the financial mismanagement have either been dismissed or suspended and that stringent financial oversight is now in place.
