Ruth Anlaug Ryste (24 July 1932 – 21 September 2023) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Labour Party. Ryste was born in

Bamble Bamble is a municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Langesund. General information Name The Old Norse form of the name ...

. She finished commerce school in 1950, and from 1950 to 1970 she worked with welfare in Bamble municipality. She was a deputy member of Bamble

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

from 1967 to 1971. From 1970 to 1973 she was a secretary in the trade union

Norwegian Civil Service Union The Norwegian Civil Service Union ( no, Norsk Tjenestemannslag, NTL) is a trade union representing civil servants in Norway. The union was founded on 1 November 1947 and affiliated to the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions The Norwegian C ...

, and also supervisory board member of the

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions ( no, Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO) is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national unions ...

from 1969 to 1975. She was a personal secretary to the Minister of Administration and Consumer Affairs from 1 January 1973 to 1 January 1974, and from 1975 to 1976 she was a secretary in Statstjenestemannskartellet. From 1976 to 1979 she served as the Minister of Social Affairs in

Nordli's Cabinet Nordli's Cabinet governed Norway between 15 January 1976 and 4 February 1981. The Labour Party cabinet was led by Odvar Nordli. It had the following composition: Cabinet members References * Notes {{Norwegian Labour Party ...

. During her tenure, the government notably passed legislation allowing self-determined abortion. She was a member of the Labour Party central board from 1975 to 1981. In 1979 she left the Minister position to become director of the

Norwegian Refugee Council The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC, no, Flyktninghjelpen) is a humanitarian, non-governmental organisation that protects the rights of people affected by displacement. This includes refugees and internally displaced persons who are forced to flee ...

. From 1982 to 1987 she headed ''Statens flyktningssekretariat'', and from 1988 to 1995 she was an adviser in the Ministry of Local Government. She was a board member of

Nationaltheatret The National Theatre in Oslo ( no, Nationaltheatret) is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts. History The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiani ...

from 1975 to 1982 and a member of Norway's Contact Committee for Immigrants and the Authorities from 1984 to 1987. Many years after retiring she was elected to Porsgrunn city council for the term 2007 to 2011. Sie died on 21 September 2023, at the age of 91.

References

1932 births 2023 deaths People from Bamble Norwegian trade unionists Politicians from Telemark Government ministers of Norway Labour Party (Norway) politicians Women government ministers of Norway 20th-century Norwegian women politicians 20th-century Norwegian politicians {{Norway-politician-1930s-stub