Episode 3

Global Unions - What are they? Ron Oswald of the IUF

Published on: 27th June, 2024

Many people, whether working in the IR Field, HR, Business, Policy or Legal, won't have ever heard of, let alone encounter, a Global Union. But they do exist, and they have a lot of influence. And there is a very good chance that the Union you deal with or belong to, regardless of geography, will be affiliated to a Global Union.

In this Episode of the IR Guru Podcast, we talk with Ron Oswald, ex General Secretary of the International Union of Food and Farm Workers (IUF) about what a Global Union does, how it does it, and why.

Ron also talks us through his career path that started as working as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport in London and ended as the General Secretary of the IUF.

We also hear about some of the challenges that Ron feels are ahead, detail about some of the campaigning work he has been involved in and his work with multi-national employers to improve dialogue and the positive impact for many workers in Countries less developed than others.

If you like this episode, please say so wherever you can and please share it with anyone else you feel will be interested.

Want to get in touch - please email us at contact@irgurupod.com

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About the Podcast

The IR Guru Podcast - Industrial Relations

Inside the world of Industrial Relations - interviews with people from Unions, Business and Policy

Inside the world of Industrial Relations, Employee Relations and Labor Relations.

Bringing you insight and knowledge through Interviews with key opinion formers from unions, business, policy makers, politicians and those who were in the room or had an ear at the door.

Always wondered:
What happened behind the scenes of a major workplace conflict?
How you might approach a particular Industrial Relations or Employee Relations challenge in your own job?
What is really going on in a current or recent dispute or workplace conflict?
What policy makers and politicians might be planning in terms of legislative changes?
How management/union relationships work, why they sometimes don’t, and what can be done differently?

Whilst we can't promise to answer all of these questions in one go, we will certainly cover some of them in each episode.

Join presenters Andy Cook and Nick Dalton as they meet the leading lights of Industrial Relations, Employee Relations and Labor Relations to hear about what they did, how they did it and what they learned. And what their current thinking is.

We will also look at present day disputes and issues through talking to those involved to get to the heart of whats going on.

Get in touch here contact@irgurupod.com if you have any comments or suggestions for future episodes. And if you like what you hear, please share the podcast, like it, suggest it or just talk about it to anyone who might find it interesting.

About your hosts

Andy Cook

Andy Cook is an industrial and employee relations practitioner who has worked as an advisor for many of the largest employers across many sectors across the world. He has worked on projects for the Ethical Trade Initiative and the International Labour Organisation and was one of the founders of the Employee Relations Institute. He is used by media outlets as a commentator on strikes and disputes and still works with Employers to help with tricky IR situations.

Nick Dalton