Jessie Eden | |
|---|---|
 Jessie Eden photographed in 1976 | |
| Born | Jessie Shrimpton 24 February 1902 Birmingham, England |
| Died | 27 September 1986 (aged 84) Birmingham, England |
| Other names | Jessie Shrimpton (1902–1923) Jessie McCulloch (1948–1986) |
| Occupation(s) | Trade union shop steward, factory worker. |
| Organisation | Transport and General Workers' Union T&G / TGWU |
| Known for | Communist activist, trade union leader, rent strike leader |
| Political party | Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) |
| Spouses | Albert Eden (m. 1923)Walter McCulloch
(m. 1948; died 1978) |
| Children | 2 |
| Honours | T&G – Gold Medal[1] |
Jessie Eden (née Shrimpton; 24 February 1902 – 27 September 1986) was a British trade union leader and communist activist, most famous for leading between 40,000 and 50,000 households during the Birmingham rent-strike of 1939.[2][3]
She convinced women at Birmingham's Joseph Lucas motor factory to join the 1926 UK General Strike, and led an unprecedented and successful strike of 10,000 factory worker women in 1931.[1][4] Later in life, she served for three decades as Birmingham city's federation of council house tenants and she was also involved in the construction of the Soviet Union's Moscow Metro.[5] Her involvement in the trade unions of the English Midlands led to a massive increase in women joining British trade unions.[6]
She was a lifelong supporter of both the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G), and of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) of which she was a leading member.[7] For her commitment to helping improve the working conditions of English factory workers, she was awarded the T&G gold medal from Ernest Bevin.[1]
- ^ a b c "Jessie Eden: Playing a blinder for women". tuc150.tuc.org.uk. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.
- ^ Fyrth, Jim, ed. (1985). Britain, Fascism, and the Popular Front. UK: Lawrence and Wishart. p. 121. ISBN 9780853156413.
- ^ "Jessie Eden". World News and Views. H.R.G. Jefferson. 1942. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.
- ^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.
- ^ Klugmann, James; Branson, Noreen; T. Callaghan, John; Andrews, Geoff (1985). History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941. UK: Lawrence and Wishart. pp. 96, 202. ISBN 9780853156116.