Official portrait of Baroness Prosser 2020 crop 3

Margaret Theresa Prosser, Baroness Prosser, (born 22 August 1937) is a

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

and former trade unionist. Prosser was born on 22 August 1937 in

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the daughter of Frederick James and Lillian (née Barry) Prosser. She was educated at St Boniface Primary School, Tooting and St Philomena's School, Carshalton. She studied as a mature student at

North East London Polytechnic , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...

, qualifying with a Post-graduate Diploma in Advice and Information Studies in 1977. Prosser became active in the Labour party and the trades union movement in the early 1970s, rising through the ranks of the

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

(T&G) to become Deputy General Secretary in 1998. She was

President of the Trades Union Congress The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the d ...

in 1996. She was a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission 1985–92 and the

Low Pay Commission The Low Pay Commission (LPC) is an independent body in the United Kingdom, established in 1997, that advises the government on the National Minimum Wage. It is an advisory non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Energy and In ...

2000–05. She was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

1997 Birthday Honours The 1997 Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 1997 for the United Kingdom and on 2 June 1997 for New Zealand.New Zealand list: Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United Kingd ...

. From 1996 to 2001 she was

Treasurer of the Labour Party A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

. From 2002 to 2006 she was Chair of the

Women's National Commission The Women's National Commission (often shortened to WNC) was an advisory non-departmental public body (NDPB) set up in 1969 by former Prime Minister Harold Wilson to advise the United Kingdom's government on women's views, and to act as an umbrell ...

. On 11 June 2004, she was created Baroness Prosser, of

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

in the

London Borough of Wandsworth Wandsworth () is a London boroughs, London borough in southwest London; it forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main named areas are Battersea, Balham, Putney, Tooting and Wandsworth, Wandsworth ...

. From 1 November 2004 to 31 October 2010 she was a Non-Executive Director of Royal Mail plc. From 2006 to 2012 she served as Deputy Chair of the

Commission for Equality and Human Rights The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public body in Great Britain, established by the Equality Act 2006 with effect from 1 October 2007. The Commission has responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of eq ...

. In 2012 she published her autobiography ''Your Seat is at the End'', written with Greg Watts and with a foreword by

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

. As of 2019, Prosser is a Chair of The Board of Trustees of the

Industry and Parliament Trust The Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) is a charity that works to promote the mutual understanding of Parliament and business. It works within the Parliament of the United Kingdom and organisations from all sectors of industry. It is non-partisan, ...

, which works to promote an understanding of business amongst parliamentarians and policymakers. She is a director of Progress Limited, a political think-tank and registered charity. In 2020 she brought a House of Lords private member’s bill for equal pay in the workplace, supported by The Fawcett Society.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prosser, Margaret Prosser, Baroness 1937 births Alumni of the University of East London English trade unionists Deputy general secretaries of the Transport and General Workers' Union Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Prosser of Battersea Living people Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Tooting Presidents of the Trades Union Congress