Eleanor Marx blazed a brilliant, fiery, trail that illuminated the politics of late Victorian Britain and helped to forge the GMB. A brilliant speaker and organiser, internationalist and Socialist, she was responsible for the unique interplay of theory and practice that allowed our union to be first to articulate the call for women’s rights and to pursue clear and uncompromisingly feminist policies, not least through the creation of its first all-women’s branch, in October 1889.
In the course of an all-too-brief lifetime, she could be found offering aid to the survivors of the Paris Commune; working on the first English translations of Ibsen’s plays and her father’s revolutionary writings; recruiting women into the union at Chatham, Silvertown, and Northampton; leading the inaugural May Day march in London and campaigning for, and winning, the battle for a maximum Eight Hour Working Day.
Whether as administrator, writer, or activist, she excelled at all she did and gave to our fledgling union the sense that the struggle for a better world required delivering both bread and roses.
The Eleanor Marx Award is one that recognises the struggles of head and heart, combining those same visionary qualities with the levels of sheer hard work and tenacity that are required to win on behalf of our people and class in order to make work better.
Which GMB woman has inspired you or others this year?
Maybe they’ve supported members with a workplace issue, negotiated the GMB menopause toolkit with their employer, or stood up for those not able to speak up for themselves.
Every year GMB awards the Eleanor Marx Award to an inspirational woman who has stood up and made an exceptional difference to our members’ lives.
The winner will also be nominated for the TUC Women’s Gold Badge Award, which is presented at TUC Congress in September.
Please note, GMB officers and staff may not be nominated.
Nominations must be submitted by Wednesday 23rd April 2025.