Shona Thomson wins Eleanor Marx award in recognition of her pivotal role in the Glasgow Women’s Strike
Glasgow home care worker, equal pay campaigner and GMB Branch Secretary Shona Thomson, was honoured today at the trade union’s 102nd Congress in Brighton.
Shona received the prestigious Eleanor Marx Award, introduced to celebrate the life and work of the socialist activist and GMB co-founder, in recognition of her pivotal role in the Glasgow Women’s Strike and long-standing equal pay campaign.
Shona has been our union’s guiding light on this journey; she understood the power of the equal pay claimants, demanded her union exercise its statutory rights to execute that power for them and led thousands of working-class women to victory after a decade of struggle.>
GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith
The award was made less than a fortnight after thousands of women employed and formerly employed by Glasgow City Council received equal pay settlement offers after a decade long battle against pay discrimination.
The award was presented by GMB General Secretary Tim Roache and GMB President Barbara Plant at the start of the Congress afternoon session from around 2PM.
GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said:
“The Glasgow Women’s Strike was iconic. The spectacle of thousands of council workers and their families and friends marching from Glasgow Green to George Square to demand equal pay captured the attention of the world.
“Shona has been our union’s guiding light on this journey; she understood the power of the equal pay claimants, demanded her union exercise its statutory rights to execute that power for them and led thousands of working-class women to victory after a decade of struggle.
“On the day of the strike, Shona told her fellow workers that they were making history and she was right. Not only did they win but the legacy of their campaign will mean generations of women will stand on the shoulders of giants like Shona.
“Shona has shown us how a trade union should campaign and win for its members and today, with those settlements being delivered and transforming the lives of members, it is with tremendous gratitude, pride and love that we honour her work.”
