Neil Joseph Kearney (15 March 1950 – 19 November 2009) was an Irish trade union leader. Born in County Donegal, 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 in 1972, heading its information and research department for many years. He was also active in the Labour Party, standing in Epsom and Ewell 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 elections, taking third place on each occasion. In 1978, he was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, 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, and on the advisory board of the Social Accountability International, 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