Neil Joseph Kearney (15 March 1950 – 19 November 2009) was an Irish trade union leader. Born in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

, Kearney moved to the UK when he was 17 years old, and found work in a bank. He began working for the

National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in 1972, heading its information and research department for many years. He was also active in the Labour Party, standing in

Epsom and Ewell Epsom and Ewell () is a local government district with borough status and unparished area in Surrey, England, covering the towns of Epsom and Ewell. The borough was formed as an urban district in 1894, and was known as Epsom until 1934. It was m ...

at the

February February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the ''leap day''. It is the first of five months not to have 31 days (th ...

and

October 1974 UK general election The October 1974 United Kingdom general election took place on Thursday 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members of the British House of Commons. It was the second general election held that year, the first year that two general elections were hel ...

s, taking third place on each occasion. In 1978, he was elected as a councillor in the

London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...

, becoming leader of the opposition. In 1988, Kearney was elected as general secretary of the

International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) was a global union federation. In 2005 it had 217 member organizations in 110 countries, representing a combined membership of over 10 million workers. History The ITGLW ...

. During his time in office, much work in the industry moved to less developed countries, which affected the federation's finances. Kearney focused on supporting workers in those nations, campaigning to end child labour, and for improved health and safety. He won the Il Natale, La Notta della Vita award in 1998, for his work opposing child labour, and in 1999 he won the Work and Environment Award from the Associazione Ambiente e Lavoro. Kearney also served on the board of the

Ethical Trading Initiative The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is a UK-based independent body founded on 9 June 1998, which brings together companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure compliance with international labour standards in the globa ...

, and on the advisory board of the

Social Accountability International The SA8000 Standard is an auditable certification standard that encourages organizations to develop, maintain, and apply socially acceptable practices in the workplace. It was developed in 1989 by Social Accountability International, formerly the C ...

, where he was heavily involved in developing the

SA8000 The SA8000 Standard is an auditable certification standard that encourages organizations to develop, maintain, and apply socially acceptable practices in the workplace. It was developed in 1989 by Social Accountability International, formerly the C ...

standard. Kearney visited Bangladesh particularly often, and died there while on a four-day trip in 2009. On his death, three days of mourning were declared in the country's textile and garment industry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Neil 1950 births 2009 deaths Councillors in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Trade unionists from County Donegal