Kay Carberry, Baroness Carberry of Muswell Hill

Catherine Rose Carberry, Baroness Carberry of Muswell Hill, CBE (born 19 October 1950), is a British trade unionist and life peer. She was Assistant General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) from 2003 to 2016.

The Right Honourable The Baroness Carberry of Muswell Hill CBE
Assistant General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress
In office 2003–2016
General Secretary	Brendan Barber Frances O'Grady
Preceded by	David Lea (1999)
Succeeded by	Kate Bell (2022)
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 30 January 2025 Life peerage
Personal details
Born	(1950-10-19) 19 October 1950 (age 74)
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	University of Sussex
Profession	Trade unionist, teacher

Carberry studied at the Royal Naval School Tal-Handaq in Malta, then at the University of Sussex. She worked as a teacher for three years, and became active in the National Union of Teachers (NUT), where she took employment as a researcher. She began working for the TUC in 1978,^[1] and in 1988 was appointed as the first head of its Equal Rights Department.^[2] In 2003, she was appointed to the vacant post of Assistant General Secretary of the TUC.^[3]

Carberry has held a number of other posts. She was a commissioner on the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and the Equal Opportunities Commission. She is a commissioner of the Low Pay Commission, a board member of Transport for London, a trustee of the People's History Museum, a director of TU Fund Managers, an alternate member of The Takeover Panel and an honorary fellow of St Hugh’s College Oxford.^[4]

Carberry was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2007 Birthday Honours, for services to Employment Relations.^[1][5] She retired from the TUC in 2016.^[6] She was created Baroness Carberry of Muswell Hill, of Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey on 30 January 2025 as part of the 2024 Political Peerages.^[7]

References

1. "CARBERRY, Kay", Who's Who
2. "Biographical Details: Kay Carberry", Trades Union Congress
3. "Women complete top team at TUC", Trades Union Congress, 22 January 2003
4. "Kay Carberry CBE Archived 2012-06-10 at the Wayback Machine", Equality and Human Rights Commission
5. United Kingdom list: "No. 58358". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 15 June 2007. p. 7.
6. Trades Union Congress, "Paul Nowak appointed TUC Deputy General Secretary", 25 February 2016
7. "No. 64649". The London Gazette. 5 February 2025. p. 2014.

External links

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Carberry of Muswell Hill Voting record at PublicWhip.org

Trade union offices
Preceded by Anne Gibson as Women's Officer	Head of the Equal Rights Department of the Trades Union Congress 1988–2003	Succeeded by Sarah Veale
Vacant Title last held by David Lea	Assistant General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress 2003–2016 Served alongside: Paul Nowak (2013–2016)	Succeeded by Post vacant