Jessie Eden
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.
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 |
| Parent(s) | William (father) Jessie (mother) |
| Honours | T&G – Gold Medal |
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. 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. Her involvement in the trade unions of the English Midlands led to a massive increase in women joining British trade unions.
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. For her commitment to helping improve the working conditions of English factory workers, she was awarded the T&G gold medal from Ernest Bevin.