
Issue No 69		01 September 2000

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Interview

Global Warrior

Interview With Tim Noonan By Peter Lewis

International unions have won a game of political football with soccer`s hierarchy - and Aussie Tim Noonan is behind the victory.

How did an Australian come to be coordinating international trade union campaigns in Brussels?

The ICFTU held its international congress in Australia at the time of the Bicentennial in 1988. At the time it was decided that Australia should have a presence on the secretariat staff. I was working at the WA Trades and Labor Council at the time and and the ACTU asked for candidates from each state. I sent my application in and after a fairly rigorous interview process I was offered a job in Brussels as the International Youth Coordinator.

It was difficult, but exciting work, with a lot of international travel - I was travelling for six months of every year. About six years ago I was appointed international campaigns and education director and I've been doing that ever since. Basically, I work with affiliated bodies like the ACTU on the ground to help run campaigns on issues of significance and gathering international support on their behalf.

Is there a difference between national and international campaigning?

The main difference is the lead-time required. The wheels of international action can turn slowly and it takes a lot of planning to keep things on track. I'll give you an example. The ICFTU has backed the campaign by Pakistani trade unions in the town of Sialkot to stop the use of child labour in the production of soccer balls and allow the adult workers to organise. Three quarters of the world's soccer balls, and lots of other sporting goods are made in and around that one town.

The campaign commenced in 1996 when we received a request for assistance from Pakistan. During the 1996 European soccer championships, we released the story to the world's media with a special video, and started discussion with the world soccer body FIFA. FIFA logos appear on many of these balls, and FIFA and the regional bodies such as UEFA receive income from license fees. We agreed a set of principles on core labour standards with FIFA, guaranteeing organising and bargaining rights for all the adult workers of the companies making the balls and their sub-contractors, as well as a guarantee of non-discrimination, no forced labour and a programme to remove and rehabilitate the child workers. The International Labour Organisation then began working with UNICEF and others to put a rehabilitation programme in place, and inspecting the workshops for child labour. But only when the parents of the kids get proper wages (at the moment they get less than one dollar for a ball that sells overseas for up to 100 dollars) can they afford to send the kids to school.

The big companies reacted strongly to our agreement with FIFA. So we started talks with the world sports industry federation as well. They have agreed to most of our claim, but still the companies are not doing enough. We, working with several NGO's, have kept up the public pressure, and bit by bit the companies are realising that they can't avoid trade union and consumer pressure.

While all this was going on, our affiliate the All Pakistan Federation of Labour began laying the groundwork for organising in Sialkot. A tough job to say the least. But just a couple of weeks ago, APFOL told us that the first union had been registered in a factory with seven thousand workers.

In the end the work of Australian trade unions through the ACTU and NSW Labor Council in negotiating an agreement on labour sources for sporting equipment with SOCOG has been decisive in keeping up the pressure on the industry and setting a real benchmark. The SOCOG agreement was also instrumental in thousands of garment workers in Fiji finally being able to join their union.

This has been an important start, but as you can see it's the end of a difficult year process, where there were many occasions when a positive outcome was not assured. And because you have to invest this sort of time, you need to pick the right campaigns to run.

What is your take on the fair trade - free trade debate going on in Australia?

We watched the recent debate at the ALP's Hobart conference with interest. The ICFTU's position is that core labour standards, , as well as environmental standards need to be given a greater priority. We believe that the World Trade Organisation must work with the ILO and include the core standards into trade agreements. It seems to me that the ALP now has a policy position pretty much in line with this and I think the Australian trade union movement can take a lot of credit for that. A Labor Government in Australia could play a very positive leadership role in moving this important debate further.

One argument against fair trade is that developing nations end up being the one's locked out of trade and development. You talk to them on the ground, what is their attitude?

It's important when working through these issues that workers in a country not meeting the required standards be given a central role in the process. No-one is seriously advocating immediate on the spot penalties; we are talking about a process where a country would receive a formal warning if it were found to be in breach and assistance would be offered in addressing the problem. In this context, the right for workers to organise collectively could be a key remedial measure.

There is no sense in which this would be an attempt to rob workers in developing countries of opportunities to improve their lives. The global economy needs global rules that do more than just protect companies and profits. The recent unrest in Fiji illustrates what I'm talking about. The international action against the coup leaders came at the express request of Fijian workers. It was the business leaders who were talking about the negative affects on Fijian workers.

What role can Australian workers play in improving the plight for workers in the developing world?

There's a leadership role to be played by workers in the developed world, particularly in dealing with multinationals. The recent campaign on Rio Tinto shows how international action can move company policy. There is also a growing awareness that superannuation and pension funds can exert influence for better social and environmental standards. And there's the pressure workers can bring in their capacity as consumers, which is a potential that we have only begun to work through. So there's a series of tools that are now at the disposal of workers in developed countries.

Are you optimistic about the future of trade unions in the 21st century?

I'm very optimistic. The trade movement is by far the most representative body on earth. We speak for more than 120 million people, which is more than any other group, anywhere. It is true that we have experienced difficult times in recent years, through reasons largely beyond our control - economic change and outright management hostility. But we have maintained our base and are in a good position to seize the initiative in the future. There is a feeling that the balance in the workplace has swung too far - it's our task to develop the framework through which working people can fight back. Ultimately, the answers lie within the union movement itself and our ability to regenerate and re-invigorate.

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Issue 69 contents

Interview: Global Warrior
International unions have won a game of political football with soccer`s hierarchy - and Aussie Tim Noonan is behind the victory.

History: King of Broken Hill
John Shields recounts the colourful life of William Sydney 'Shorty' O'Neil (1903-2000) and his place in the rich history of a remarkable town.

International: History Repeats At Firestone
More than 8,000 workers, members of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), are set to strike at nine Bridgestone/Firestone plants in the United States at midnight tonight.

Politics: The Past We Need To Understand
In his Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture Malcolm Fraser retraces the path of Australian race relations and laments the terrible impasse we've reached.

Unions: Economic Democracy
Sharan Burrow on making Working Australia's money talk and reforming corporate culture for the 21st Century.

Satire: Another windscreen washer joins millionaire list
SYDNEY, Monday: After just a year in his new job, John Samuels has added his name to the burgeoning list of enterprising Australians who have made their fortunes by offering partial car-washing facilities in convenient inner city road-side locations.

Review: No Long Term
Much political commentary is about the global marketplace and the use of new technologies as hallmarks of the new capitalism. Richard Sennett investigates another dimension of change: new ways of organising time, particularly working time.

» New Benchmark In Bank Greed

» Olympics Deal Sparks Soccer Ball Victory

» Two Day Strike Hits BHP Mines

» Leightons, SOCOG Tremble Before Haka

» Hilton Hotels Limp As Strike Bites

» Wran Lends Boffins A Hand

» ACTU Meets Joy

» Barracks Workers Put The Pinch On Local MP

» Olympic Win For Taxi Drivers

» Australian Unions Keep Spotlight on Fiji

» Staff Eye Telstra Prize

» Dice Loaded Against American Workers

» NZ Union Federations Heal Split

» Pressure Mounts On Nike To Live Olympic Ideal