Jessie Eden

Jessie Eden
Jessie Eden photographed in 1976
Born
Jessie Shrimpton

(1902-02-24)24 February 1902
Birmingham, England
Died27 September 1986(1986-09-27) (aged 84)
Birmingham, England
Other namesJessie Shrimpton (1902–1923)
Jessie McCulloch (1948–1986)
Occupation(s)Trade union shop steward, factory worker.
OrganisationTransport and General Workers' Union T&G / TGWU
Known forCommunist activist, trade union leader, rent strike leader
Political partyCommunist Party of Great Britain (CPGB)
Spouses
Albert Eden
(m. 1923)
Walter McCulloch
(m. 1948; died 1978)
Children2
Parent(s)William (father)
Jessie (mother)
HonoursT&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]

  1. ^ a b c "Jessie Eden: Playing a blinder for women". tuc150.tuc.org.uk. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Fyrth, Jim, ed. (1985). Britain, Fascism, and the Popular Front. UK: Lawrence and Wishart. p. 121. ISBN 9780853156413.
  4. ^ "Jessie Eden". World News and Views. H.R.G. Jefferson. 1942. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.

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