Eleanor Stewart (trade unionist)
Eleanor Stewart (28 May 1889 – fl.1965) was a Scottish trade unionist and political activist.
Born in Glasgow, Stewart first came to prominence in 1916 when she was a delegate to the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC). This was the Red Clydeside period, and Stewart took a leading role in a protest against the deportation of radical shop stewards from Glasgow. As a result, she was taken to court, along with Helen Crawfurd, Willie Gallacher and Emanuel Shinwell.[1]
In 1917, Stewart was appointed as the Women's Organiser for the Workers' Union, and also as a member of the executive committee of the Scottish area of the Labour Party. In 1920, she was elected to Glasgow City Council, representing Maryhill, but she lost her seat the following year. She stood in Edinburgh North at the 1924 and 1929 UK general elections, but was not elected.[1]
The Workers' Union became part of the Transport and General Workers' Union, and Stewart continued as its Scottish women's officer, and remained active at the STUC, where she promoted equal pay and the introduction of a minimum wage. She was a founder member of its Women's Advisory Committee,[1] which she chaired from 1933 to 1935, and from 1943 to 1948.[2]
From 1939 to 1944, Stewart served on the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, and she served on a variety of government committees. In 1947, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Stewart, Eleanor", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ Scottish Trades Union Congress, "Eighty-third Scottish TUC Women's Conference", p.30
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bell Jobson |
Chair of the Women's Advisory Committee of the Scottish Trades Union Congress 1933 – 1935 |
Succeeded by Rachel Devine |
| Preceded by Bell Jobson |
Chair of the Women's Advisory Committee of the Scottish Trades Union Congress 1943 – 1948 |
Succeeded by Agnes Gilroy |