A transport union has announced the election of a new general secretary.

Maryam Eslamdoust was said to be the first woman and the first person of colour to hold the post of leader of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association or in any railway union.

She said: “I’m truly honoured to have won the vote to be TSSA’s general secretary.

“Together we’ve done something that’s never been done before, for the first time in its 126-year history, TSSA is led by a woman, and a person of colour too.

“Together let’s strengthen our union and ensure a laser focus on member’s jobs, pay, terms and conditions.

“I ran a campaign to fix the internal issues in our union and focus on protecting jobs and pay for our members.

“Our members are the lifeblood and purpose of this union and their interests will always come first under my leadership.

“I want to thank everybody who made this historic result possible – working around the clock to promote a positive campaign focused on the membership.”

She succeeds Manuel Cortes who left amid an internal investigation into harassment and bullying in the union.