Jimmy Milne (1921–1986) was General Secretary of the

Scottish Trades Union Congress The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) is the National trade union center, national trade union centre in Scotland. With 40 affiliated unions as of 2020, the STUC represents over 540,000 trade unionists. The STUC is a separate organisation ...

(STUC). He died in office. Born in 1921, Milne joined the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

in 1939. He was a patternmaker by trade and first worked at the Hall Russell shipyard. The secretary of

Aberdeen Trades Council Aberdeen Trades Union Council (ATUC) is the body made up of affiliated trade union branches and organisations working in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire area to promote the interests of workers in the region. The ATUC provides services to affiliate ...

from 1948 to 1969, he made his mark by working for safer working conditions for fishing trawler crew. But his interests and activities were always very wide; he was a member of the Regional Hospital Board, where he kept up a constant pressure for reforms in the interests of patients. He became a member of the General Council of the STUC in 1954, the youngest person elected to that time. Deputy General Secretary in 1969 and the General Secretary in 1975, Milne was also a member of the Communist Party Executive Committee for a period and the Scottish Committee until his death. During his period of office, the STUC was heavily involved in a range of activities of an educational and cultural nature. He spent six years as Chair of SCOTBEC and, with the

Glasgow Trades Council {{Use British English, date=January 2018 Glasgow Trades Council is an association of trade union branches in Glasgow in Scotland. The trades council was founded in 1858 as the Glasgow United Trades Council.Archives Hub,Records of Glasgow District ...

, a residential college was established at Treesbank. Jimmy Milne spent 12 years on the board of

Govan Shipbuilders Govan Shipbuilders Ltd (GSL) was a British shipbuilding company based on the River Clyde at Glasgow in Scotland. It operated the former Fairfield Shipyard and took its name from the Govan area in which it was located. History The company wa ...

and was the longest serving member of the Parole Board when he stepped down, after 15 years membership. Married to Alice, Jimmy Milne was also a great music lover, who consciously spread the STUC's influence widely in education and the arts and received an honorary doctorate from

Heriot Watt University Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...

for such work. The Scottish National Orchestra performed a specially commissioned overture, `Sunset Song', by William Sweeney on his retirement in a similar gesture. He died in 1986, only ten days before his official retirement date. Over a thousand people attended his funeral, including the then

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Donald Dewar Donald Campbell Dewar (21 August 1937 – 11 October 2000) was a Scottish politician who served as the inaugural First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2000. He previously served as ...

, and many other prominent individuals from all walks of life.

References

Sources: Morning Star 19 April 1986 and .d. Scottish Trade Union Review No. 30, January–March 1986 1921 births 1986 deaths General Secretaries of the Scottish Trades Union Congress People from Aberdeen Communist Party of Great Britain members {{UK-trade-unionist-bio-stub