:Margaret Prosser, Baroness Prosser

{{Short description|British politician (born 1937)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

File:Official portrait of Baroness Prosser 2020 crop 3.jpg

Margaret Theresa Prosser, Baroness Prosser, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 22 August 1937) is a Labour life peer and former trade unionist.

Prosser was born on 22 August 1937 in Tooting, London,{{cite web|url=http://dscalm.warwick.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=DServe5.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=NaviTree.tcl&dsqField=RefNo&dsqItem=TGW/4/3|title=Transport and General Workers' Union/Papers of Margaret Prosser|work=Dserve Archive Catalog|publisher=Warwick University|access-date=10 May 2014}} the daughter of Frederick James and Lillian (née Barry) Prosser.{{Who's Who|title=Prosser |id=U31550|edition=Dec 2013 online|access-date=10 May 2014}}

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, qualifying with a Post-graduate Diploma in Advice and Information Studies in 1977.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

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 (T&G) to become Deputy General Secretary in 1998.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/sep/07/guardiansocietysupplement.interviews|title=The big payback|author=Helene Mulholland|newspaper=The Guardian|date=7 September 2005|access-date=8 May 2014}} She was President of the Trades Union Congress in 1996.

She was a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission 1985–92 and the Low Pay Commission 2000–05. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1997 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=54794|date=14 June 1997|page=12 |supp=y}} From 1996 to 2001 she was Treasurer of the Labour Party.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/32310.stm|title=Baroness Prosser|work=Democracy Live|publisher=BBC|access-date=8 May 2014}}

From 2002 to 2006 she was Chair of the Women's National Commission.{{cite news|url=http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/women-and-work-commission-chairman-baroness-prosser-pleased-at-pace-of-progress-on-gender-pay-gap|title=Women and Work Commission chairman Baroness Prosser pleased at pace of progress on gender pay gap|author=Georgina Fuller|newspaper=Personnel Today |date=20 March 2007|access-date=10 May 2014}}

On 11 June 2004, she was created Baroness Prosser, of Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/baroness-prosser/3684|title=Baroness Prosser|publisher=parliament.uk|access-date=8 May 2014}}{{London Gazette|issue=57328|date=17 June 2004|page=7561}} From 1 November 2004 to 31 October 2010 she was a Non-Executive Director of Royal Mail plc.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/oct/08/postalservice|title=Crozier wins out in Royal Mail bust-up|author=Terry Macalister|newspaper=The Guardian|date=8 October 2004|access-date=10 May 2014}}{{cite news|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=32584048&privcapId=876551&previousCapId=876551&previousTitle=Royal%20Mail%20Holdings%20plc|title=Baroness Margaret Prosser OBE|publisher=Bloomberg|work=Businessweek|access-date=10 May 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

From 2006 to 2012 she served as Deputy Chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.{{cite web|url=http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/the-commissioners/baroness-margaret-prosser-of-battersea-obe|title=Baroness Margaret Prosser of Battersea OBE|publisher=Equality and Human Rights Commission|access-date=8 May 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508060942/http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/the-commissioners/baroness-margaret-prosser-of-battersea-obe/|archive-date=8 May 2014}} In 2012 she published her autobiography Your Seat is at the End, written with Greg Watts and with a foreword by Tony Blair.{{cite news|url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/9943512.Baroness_of_Battersea_reflects_on_career_in_new_book|title=Baroness Margaret Prosser of Battersea reflects on career in new book|author=Alexandra Rucki|newspaper=Your Local Guardian |date=22 September 2012|access-date=8 May 2014}} As of 2019, Prosser is a Chair of The Board of Trustees of the Industry and Parliament Trust, which works to promote an understanding of business amongst parliamentarians and policymakers.{{cite web |url=https://www.ipt.org.uk/About-Us/The-Trustee-Board |title=IPT Trustee Board |publisher=Industry and Parliament Trust |access-date=20 February 2019}}

She is a director of Progress Limited, a political think-tank and registered charity.{{Cite web|title=Register of Interests for Baroness Prosser – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/3684/registeredinterests|access-date=2020-09-17|website=members.parliament.uk|language=en}}

In 2020 she brought a House of Lords private member's bill for equal pay in the workplace, supported by the Fawcett Society.{{Cite web|title=Women could be given right to know male colleagues' salaries under new bill|url=https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/news/articles/women-could-be-given-right-to-know-male-colleagues-salaries-under-new-bill|access-date=2021-08-10|website=People Management|language=en}}