| Year | Name | Union[1][2] | 
|---|
| 1897 | Duncan Macpherson | Glasgow Trades Council | 
| 1898 | John Keir | Aberdeen Trades Council | 
| 1899 | Thomas McBurney | Dundee Trades Council | 
| 1900 | Thomas Wilson | Edinburgh Bakers' and Confectioners' Union | 
| 1901 | J. Kent | Scottish Typographical Association | 
| 1902 | William Muirhead | Associated Ironmoulders of Scotland | 
| 1903 | Robert Smillie | Scottish Miners' Federation | 
| 1904 | George Murdoch | Perth Trades Council | 
| 1905 | Robert Smillie | Scottish Miners' Federation | 
| 1906 | William Johnston | Aberdeen Trades Council | 
| 1907 | John T. Howden | Associated Carpenters and Joiners of Scotland | 
| 1908 | James Gavin | Amalgamated Society of Steel and Iron Workers of Great Britain | 
| 1909 | James Gavin | Amalgamated Society of Steel and Iron Workers of Great Britain | 
| 1910 | John Hendry | Brechin Mill and Factory Operatives Trade Union | 
| 1911 | James Brown | Scottish Miners' Federation | 
| 1912 | David Palmer | Aberdeen Trades Council | 
| 1913 | Alexander R. Turner | Glasgow Trades Council | 
| 1914 | Robert Climie | Ayrshire Trades Council | 
| 1916 | David Gilmour | Scottish Miners' Federation | 
| 1917 | Robert Allan | Edinburgh Trades Council | 
| 1918 | Hugh Lyon | Scottish Horse and Motormen's Association | 
| 1919 | Neil S. Beaton | National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants | 
| 1920 | William Shaw | Glasgow Trades Council | 
| 1921 | James Walker | Iron and Steel Trades Confederation | 
| 1922 | Charles Gallie | Railway Clerks' Association | 
| 1923 | James Murdoch | Scottish Miners' Federation | 
| 1924 | Tom Wilson | National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants | 
| 1925 | William Leonard | National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association | 
| 1926 | Joseph Forbes Duncan | Scottish Farm Servants' Union | 
| 1927 | Peter Webster | Scottish Horse and Motormen's Association | 
| 1928 | John Nairn | Scottish Textile Workers' Union | 
| 1929 | George Kerr | Workers' Union | 
| 1930 | Robert Watson | Scottish Typographical Association | 
| 1931 | Charles Gallie | Railway Clerks' Association | 
| 1932 | William Leonard | National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association | 
| 1933 | James Crawford | National Society of Operative Printers' Assistants | 
| 1934 | Thomas Scollan | Glasgow Trades Council | 
| 1935 | Thomas Brown | National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants | 
| 1936 | James Young | Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen | 
| 1937 | Bell Jobson | Scottish Farm Servants' Union | 
| 1938 | Herbert Ellison | National Union of Railwaymen | 
| 1939 | Robert Taylor | Scottish Horse and Motormen's Association | 
| 1940 | William Quin | National Union of General and Municipal Workers | 
| 1941 | James Watson | National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers | 
| 1942 | Charles Murdoch | Scottish Union of Bakers | 
| 1943 | Peter Henderson | Scottish Miners' Federation | 
| 1944 | James Crawford | National Society of Operative Printers' Assistants | 
| 1945 | James Young | Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen | 
| 1946 | Jim Campbell | National Union of Railwaymen | 
| 1947 | James Duncan | Constructional Engineering Union | 
| 1948 | John Sullivan | Transport and General Workers' Union | 
| 1949 | William McGinniss | National Union of General and Municipal Workers | 
| 1950 | William Pearson | National Union of Scottish Mineworkers | 
| 1951 | John Lang | Iron and Steel Trades Confederation | 
| 1952 | John Brannigan | Scottish Horse and Motormen's Association | 
| 1953 | A. D. MacKellar | Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen | 
| 1954 | John G. Bothwell | Transport Salaried Staffs' Association | 
| 1955 | Thomas B. Meikle | Transport and General Workers' Union | 
| 1956 | David Currie | Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union | 
| 1957 | Frank Donachy | National Union of Railwaymen | 
| 1958 | William Mowbray | Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers | 
| 1959 | Alex Moffat | National Union of Scottish Mineworkers | 
| 1960 | Jimmy Milne | Aberdeen Trades Council | 
| 1961 | Edward W. Craig | Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers | 
| 1962 | Patrick Conner | Amalgamated Engineering Union | 
| 1963 | David Lauder | National Union of Railwaymen | 
| 1964 | Frank H. Stephen | Draughtsmen's and Allied Technicians' Association | 
| 1965 | William Scholes | Transport and General Workers' Union | 
| 1966 | Alec Kitson | Scottish Commercial Motormen's Union | 
| 1967 | Bill McLean | National Union of Scottish Mineworkers | 
| 1968 | John Irvine | Iron and Steel Trades Confederation | 
| 1969 | Enoch Humphries | Fire Brigades Union | 
| 1970 | J. A. Matheson | National Union of Railwaymen | 
| 1971 | Alex M. Donnet | National Union of General and Municipal Workers | 
| 1972 | R. Macdonald | Transport and General Workers' Union | 
| 1973 | A. W. Day | Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs | 
| 1974 | E. McIntyre | National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers | 
| 1975 | J. H. Dollan | National Union of Journalists | 
| 1976 | Andrew Forman | Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers | 
| 1977 | Hugh D'Arcy | Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians | 
| 1978 | Arthur Bell | Iron and Steel Trades Confederation | 
| 1979 | Charles Drury | National and Local Government Officers' Association | 
| 1980 | Bill Dougan | Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers | 
| 1981 | Jimmy Morrell | National Union of General and Municipal Workers | 
| 1982 | John D. Pollock | Educational Institute of Scotland | 
| 1983 | Andy Barr | National Union of Railwaymen | 
| 1984 | John Langan | Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs | 
| 1985 | Tom Dougan | Amalgamated Engineering Union | 
| 1986 | Hugh Wyper | Transport and General Workers Union | 
| 1987 | Ron Curran | National Union of Public Employees | 
| 1988 | Charles Gallagher | National and Local Government Officers Association | 
| 1989 | Ronnie Webster | Aberdeen Trades Council | 
| 1990 | George Bolton | National Union of Mineworkers | 
| 1991 | Clive Lewis | Iron and Steel Trades Confederation | 
| 1992 | Jane McKay | Glasgow Trades Council | 
| 1993 | Chris Binks | Confederation of Health Service Employees | 
| 1994 | Harry McLevy | Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union | 
| 1995 | Willie Queen | Transport and General Workers Union | 
| 1996 | Pat McCormick | Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers | 
| 1997 | Mary Harrison | GMB Union | 
| 1998 | Pat Kelly | National Union of Civil and Public Servants | 
| 1999 | Anne Middleton | Unison | 
| 2000 | Matt Smith | Unison | 
| 2001 | Liz Elkind | Edinburgh Trades Council | 
| 2002 | David Bleiman | Association of University Teachers | 
| 2003 | Pauline Frazer | Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union | 
| 2004 | Sandy Boyle | UNIFI | 
| 2005 | Anne Douglas | Prospect | 
| 2006 | John Keenan | South Lanarkshire and East Kilbride TUC | 
| 2007 | Katrina Purcell | Unison | 
| 2008 | Phil McGarry | National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers | 
| 2009 | Fiona Farmer | Unite | 
| 2010 |  |  | 
| 2011 | Joy Dunn | Public and Commercial Services Union | 
| 2012 | Mike Kirby | Unison | 
| 2013 | Agnes Tolmie | Unite | 
| 2014 | Harry Frew | Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians | 
| 2015 | Lawrence Wason | Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers |