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Honoring Neil Kearney:
With great shock and heavy hearts, we share news that Neil Kearney, the General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) and Executive Committee member of the MFA Forum, passed away in Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 17, 2009 from a massive heart attack.
Neil was our dear friend, and friend to the labour rights movement everywhere. Neil was one of the founders and driving forces behind the MFA Forum. He, of course, was tirelessly engaged in the work we have in Bangladesh, Morocco and was the Chair of the Lesotho group. As we try to understand the wider implications of this loss we also no doubt will struggle in the vacuum that his loss will bring to the Forum. We will no doubt miss Neil’s tireless fight for labour rights and his dedication to his work and the work of the MFA Forum. With bitter happiness, we feel blessed that we were able to spend quality time with Neil recently while at the international convening of the MFA Forum earlier this month. His presence will be sorely missed for all the organisations and individuals that he worked so vigorously for, as we all move forward without his leadership.
Neil Kearney, 59, became the General Secretary of ITGLWF in 1988. Born in Donegal, Ireland, he started his trade union career with the Irish National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers in 1972. In 1998, he received the “IL Natale, La Notta della Vita” International Award for his work on the elimination of child labour worldwide. A year later, he received the “Work and Environment Award” of the Associaiazione Ambiente e Lavoro for his work to improve working conditions in the developing world. He is survived by his wife, Jutta, and two daughters, Nicole and Caroline.
Alan Roberts, Lakshmi Bhatia, and Neil Kearney at the MFA Forum meeting in Bangladesh, 2006
With condolences to his family, the ITG and the colleagues that worked closely with him.
Sasha Radovich
MFA Forum
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