Agnes McLean (4 December 1918 – 25 April 1994) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. Born in the Ibrox area of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

,Agnes McLean
, '' The Herald'', 27 April 1994 McLean's family were committed socialists and supporters of John Maclean, her father being a member of the Scottish Workers' Republican Party, and she attended a Socialist Sunday School.Ed. Rose Pipes et al, ''The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women'', pp.236-237The Legacy of Agnes McLean
, '' Workers' Liberty'', 2 May 2012 McLean began working at the age of fourteen, when she became a bookbinder at Collins publishing house. A union activist from the start, after working procedures were changed to speed up production, she successfully argued for the bookbinders to receive a raise. In 1939, she moved to work for

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

in Hillington as a crane driver, and joined the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU). There, she campaigned for equal pay, leading a short strike in 1941, and a successful one in 1943. McLean joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) in 1942, coming to serve on its Scottish Committee and, later, on its National Committee. In 1954, she was elected to the executive of the AEU, the first woman to serve on the committee. She visited the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in 1961 and said she was impressed. At this time, she was active in the peace movement, and was arrested at a sit-in protest at the Holy Loch Polaris base. She also travelled as a representative of the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established on October 3, 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the Int ...

, and was awarded the Gold Badge of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

. In 1969, McLean resigned from the CPGB, stating that "I felt the party was unable to convince people that they, the CP, were the party of the future, in spite of splendid work on behalf of workers in factories or unions". She soon joined the Labour Party and was elected for the party to Glasgow District Council. Following local government reorganisation, she became a councillor on Strathclyde Regional Council, representing the Glasgow Central and Calton ward. By the late 1970s, her mother was in poor health, and she left paid employment to look after her full-time, devoting much of her spare time to ballroom dancing. She also sat on several management committees, including those of Blindcraft Scotland, Scottish Opera, and the Theatre Royal, Glasgow. McLean visited

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

in 1993 to research the history of the rumba dance, this trip being made into a television programme, "In Cuba They're Still Dancing".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, Agnes 1918 births 1994 deaths Communist Party of Great Britain members Trade unionists from Glasgow Scottish socialists Scottish communists Scottish Labour councillors Scottish television presenters Scottish women television presenters Women councillors in Glasgow