The day of reckoning for the five FIFA presidential aspirants is staring at their faces. February 26 is a week away and the nerves are flying high. AFC president and frontrunner Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, Prince Ali of Jordan, Frenchman Jerome Champagne, South African businessman Tony Sexwale, and Swiss football administrator of Italian origin Gianni Infantino, are hustling towards their goal, all promising to clean up beleaguered FIFA, if elected. It’s a natural objective, considering how badly the governing body is trapped in charges of corruption. The 209 world football associations will decide their fate. Only they have the mandate, but if recent leaks are to be believed, there are outsiders who are conspiring to influence the election.
Global Leaks recently released International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) exposed email trails that contained questionable correspondence to ensure their choice of candidate wins. The emails involved influential figures like ITUC president Sharan Burrow, her communication spin doctor Gemma Swart, ITUC director communication Tim Noonan, and SKIN’s chairman, Jamie Fuller, and former Australian FA member and FIFA whistleblower, Bonita Mersiades.
From misusing funds aimed at damaging Sheikh Salman’s reputation, to showing unabashed support for Prince Ali, Ms Burrow and her Australian colleagues have been found straying from their terms of office. Instead of spending money and time on the millions of struggling workforce around the world, ITUC has conveniently shifted the goal post. It is now playing the role of a corporate lobbyist body.
Swiss magazine Weltwoche picked up the controversial emails and released an article on February 4, which carried Ms Burrow’s vague and weak reaction to the exposure.
With the FIFA elections and the fate of ITUC’s candidate near, Sharan Burrow appears to have taken matters in her own hand, and in her own backyard, in an attempt to salvage lost reputation.
‘The Australian’ published an article on February 14 where Ms Burrow asserted unconvincingly how one particular email in the series is forged. The email was written by Ms Swart and addressed to members of the gang on September 9. It read: “Prince Ali (bin al-Hussein of Jordan) just announced that he may run again (for the presidency). We do benefit if he wins and Sheik Salman loses. We can divert some money for a dis¬information campaign against Salman.”
Jacquelin Magnay of the Australian reports that since Sheikh Salman announced his candidacy only on October 25, how could they have discussed his bid in September? It did not take an official announcement for it to be known that the Sheikh would be in the fray. That is why the argument holds little credibility.
Sharan Burrow’s almost brazen support for Prince Ali in an article on their website on May 22 (http://www.ituc-csi.org/fifa-election-ituc-with-arab?lang=en), when she lobbied FIFA delegates to vote for the Jordanian Prince simply because he ‘promised’ that he would work for human rights, was an extension of her war against Sepp Blatter.
The Prince conceded defeat after losing 133–73 in the first round and withdrew from the race on May 28. However, his hopes of leading FIFA were revived after Blatter resigned on June 1 amid corruption charges. Ms Burrow’s hopes were recharged, too. Backed mainly by European nations and the ITUC general secretary, who would go on to make noise against his would-be opponent, Sheikh Salman, Prince Ali at first remained hesitant about his prospects for running again, but came around and declared his candidacy on September 8.
The next day the ‘email’ was sent. It fits the bill.
Interestingly, Reuters had reported in August itself that Prince Ali could be running again, so it’s not necessarily impossible to know who is likely to stand for FIFA presidency even before official declarations come. Same with Sheikh Salman.
Michel Platini, Prince Ali’s the then opponent, had already begun to face charges of complicity in financial dealing with Blatter and was widely expected to pull out of the race. Sheikh Salman, who hadn’t announced his candidacy, was backing the Frenchman then. (http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-fifa-salman-platini-idUKKCN0QJ1S520150814, dated August 14). But everybody could read the writings on the wall for the UEFA boss and there were voices in the corridors of world football that had begun talking of the possibility that the Bahraini would run, too.
It’s quite possible and logical that the allegedly fabricated email was written in anticipation. It’s also quite probable that the email’s reference to the Bahraini was actually pointing towards the Sheikh’s and Platini’s combined camp.
What’s also interesting to note is the fact that Sheikh Salman formally submitted his papers to FIFA on October 25 as per the Reuters article –http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-fifa-salman-idUKKCN0SK03A20151026, dated Oct 26. How come ITUC had the information beforehand having released the article two days prior? (http://www.ituc-csi.org/fifa-deep-concern-over-possible, dated Oct 23).
What happened after the September 9 email also clearly indicates how Sharan Burrow and ITUC executed disinformation campaign against Sheikh Salman. The following links shows their aggression against the AFC president.
Source: Click Here
Showing posts with label ITUC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ITUC. Show all posts
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Swiss paper uncovers Aussie-led group funding campaign to destroy FIFA
Swiss weekly newspaper Weltwoche has published damning detail of an Australian-led campaign to attack Qatar, destabilise FIFA and fund a disinformation campaign against FIFA election candidate Shaikh Salman bin Al-Khalifa.
The paper has access to a series of emails outlining correspondence between various parties that show a funded campaign that as its ultimate objective appears to have the dissolution of FIFA as an organisation.
At the centre of the campaign is the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) general secretary Sharan Burrow who initially set her sights on human rights issues and Qatar and has campaigned against the state hosting the 2022 World Cup. As this campaign lost its global news value the ITUC shifted its focus to campaigning against FIFA and its president Sepp Blatter, and then on to FIFA candidate Shaikh Salman.
As the campaign grew, so did the group behind it. ITUC communications Director Tim Noonan, another Australian, hired Australian PR agency Essential Media Communications (EMC) to launch the campaign against Qatar. EMC Director Gemma Swart started to work as the press officer for Sharan Burrow alongside Noonan.
Their group was later joined by former Australian FA official and FIFA whistleblower Bonita Mersiades, and anti-FIFA campaigner Jaimie Fuller, an Australian, who owns sportswear manufacturer Skins. They are founders of the NewFIFANow pressure group with British MP Damian Collins. Transparency International's Deborah Unger later came into the fold.
Weltwoche outlines correspondence within the group as their focus shifts from Qatar to FIFA to Shaikh Salman as he emerged as a leading contender for the FIFA presidency.
On May 27, two days before Sepp Blatter's re-election, the seven FIFA delegates were arrested in Zurich at the instigation of the United States attorney. Blatter was still re-elected but a week later on June 2, he announced his resignation for February 2016. Swart was naturally excited by "Blatter's exit visa" but was already looking ahead. In an email to Noonan she writes: "Qatar and Russia should now be invalidated. We can have a new assignment. And six months of open path for a campaign toward the Congress".
On June 15, 2015, Swart wrote a long email to Noonan and asked how they could launch a call for FIFA reforms to make it look more international. Swart also lists a few suggestions. The ITUC tempered her zeal saying a slower approach was needed: "We need to find partners to go along with us, no surprise therefore, very gently".
On June 29, Swart then sent emails to Alex (Wilks), campaign Director of the civil rights movement AVAAZ and Mersiades.
Swart's mail is entitled: "Fifa campaign coordination call Tuesday, June 30". She called for more pressure to reform the football associations – not unlike many others both inside and outside football around the world.
It is soon after this that the group talks about financing a smear campaign against Shaikh Salman. On September 9, Swart wrote to Noonan and others: "Prince Ali just announced that he may run again (for the presidency). We do benefit if he wins and Sheikh Salman loses. We can divert some money for a disinformation campaign against Salman".
On September 25, the Swiss federal prosecutor opened a case against Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini. Burrow wrote to Noonan, Swart and Fuller: "We should all urge Blatter's resignation". On September 29, Deborah Unger from Transparency International writes an email entitled: "Next steps of FIFA campaign" to Swart, Noonan, Mersiades and Fuller: "It looks like both Platini and Blatter hold still (in their position). Would it be worthwhile to briefly Skype to talk about the next steps? Amongst other things: We start a global call in October , in which people can choose the worst example of corruption and FIFA is one of our "candidates".
On October 7, Weltwoche highlights a conference call that took place between Unger, Mersiades, Noonan, Swart and Fuller. An email from Unger summarises what was discussed. They agreed that the pressure on sponsors like Coca-Cola and Adidas should be increased and a TV debate should be organised between the candidates for the FIFA presidency. Fuller answered: "I propose to keep that secret and invite the candidates to a meeting. At the appropriate time, we can propose a TV debate with the rules of engagement. So no one who has promised to attend can turn back due to schedule conflicts".
On October 8, 2015, FIFA suspended Blatter and Platini. On October 21, Tim Noonan writes to Gemma Swart and Sharan Burrow in copy: "FIFA publishes an anthem to Syria just when Assad is visiting the Kremlin" (referring to a FIFA article in which the Syrian U-17 soccer team said it was proud to participate at the U-17 World Cup in Russia, despite adverse conditions home). Swart answered: "Can we do something on Syria campaign? We need a picture of a bombed football field to show that this love anthem is just a joke. Could do a good share on social media".
She then goes on to speak about Shaikh Salman and the need to destabilise his campaign: "If he wants to be invisible as a candidate, it might be worth, now to build pressure and slinging him out of the FIFA candidate pack. Otherwise we legitimize him as a candidate. Do we really want that the February elections takes place without Reform Commission? More we can destabilize, better it is - starting right now".
How far the parties were prepared to go with their destabilisation campaign becomes clearer in an email from Deborah Unger, who writes to the ITUC, Fuller, Mersiades and the British MP Damian Collins and other allies on December 20: "We have investigated through our Swiss colleagues of Transparency the likelihood that Swiss government could dissolve the FIFA". However, they found that there was no strong will within the Swiss Parliament to do this.
Recently, says Weltwoche, the anti-FIFA campaign has found critics within the ITUC's own ranks and union representatives in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka – the main suppliers of labour to Qatar's construction sites. Sanjeeva Reddy, president of India's largest trade union, who is also Vice-President of the ITUC, said the workers they were trying to protect in the first place could in fact end up being the most harmed and that they were endangering thousands of jobs.
When reminded of the complaint filed to ILO Kathmandu against ITUC by Nepal's leading trade union body, INDECONT, for negligence of duty, Reddy reportedly said their experience has been the same. Reddy says the actions of Burrow are affecting the unity of trade union bodies in Asia.
Where will this saga end?
The paper has access to a series of emails outlining correspondence between various parties that show a funded campaign that as its ultimate objective appears to have the dissolution of FIFA as an organisation.
At the centre of the campaign is the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) general secretary Sharan Burrow who initially set her sights on human rights issues and Qatar and has campaigned against the state hosting the 2022 World Cup. As this campaign lost its global news value the ITUC shifted its focus to campaigning against FIFA and its president Sepp Blatter, and then on to FIFA candidate Shaikh Salman.
 |
| Sharan Burrow |
As the campaign grew, so did the group behind it. ITUC communications Director Tim Noonan, another Australian, hired Australian PR agency Essential Media Communications (EMC) to launch the campaign against Qatar. EMC Director Gemma Swart started to work as the press officer for Sharan Burrow alongside Noonan.
Their group was later joined by former Australian FA official and FIFA whistleblower Bonita Mersiades, and anti-FIFA campaigner Jaimie Fuller, an Australian, who owns sportswear manufacturer Skins. They are founders of the NewFIFANow pressure group with British MP Damian Collins. Transparency International's Deborah Unger later came into the fold.
Weltwoche outlines correspondence within the group as their focus shifts from Qatar to FIFA to Shaikh Salman as he emerged as a leading contender for the FIFA presidency.
On May 27, two days before Sepp Blatter's re-election, the seven FIFA delegates were arrested in Zurich at the instigation of the United States attorney. Blatter was still re-elected but a week later on June 2, he announced his resignation for February 2016. Swart was naturally excited by "Blatter's exit visa" but was already looking ahead. In an email to Noonan she writes: "Qatar and Russia should now be invalidated. We can have a new assignment. And six months of open path for a campaign toward the Congress".
On June 15, 2015, Swart wrote a long email to Noonan and asked how they could launch a call for FIFA reforms to make it look more international. Swart also lists a few suggestions. The ITUC tempered her zeal saying a slower approach was needed: "We need to find partners to go along with us, no surprise therefore, very gently".
On June 29, Swart then sent emails to Alex (Wilks), campaign Director of the civil rights movement AVAAZ and Mersiades.
Swart's mail is entitled: "Fifa campaign coordination call Tuesday, June 30". She called for more pressure to reform the football associations – not unlike many others both inside and outside football around the world.
It is soon after this that the group talks about financing a smear campaign against Shaikh Salman. On September 9, Swart wrote to Noonan and others: "Prince Ali just announced that he may run again (for the presidency). We do benefit if he wins and Sheikh Salman loses. We can divert some money for a disinformation campaign against Salman".
On September 25, the Swiss federal prosecutor opened a case against Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini. Burrow wrote to Noonan, Swart and Fuller: "We should all urge Blatter's resignation". On September 29, Deborah Unger from Transparency International writes an email entitled: "Next steps of FIFA campaign" to Swart, Noonan, Mersiades and Fuller: "It looks like both Platini and Blatter hold still (in their position). Would it be worthwhile to briefly Skype to talk about the next steps? Amongst other things: We start a global call in October , in which people can choose the worst example of corruption and FIFA is one of our "candidates".
On October 7, Weltwoche highlights a conference call that took place between Unger, Mersiades, Noonan, Swart and Fuller. An email from Unger summarises what was discussed. They agreed that the pressure on sponsors like Coca-Cola and Adidas should be increased and a TV debate should be organised between the candidates for the FIFA presidency. Fuller answered: "I propose to keep that secret and invite the candidates to a meeting. At the appropriate time, we can propose a TV debate with the rules of engagement. So no one who has promised to attend can turn back due to schedule conflicts".
On October 8, 2015, FIFA suspended Blatter and Platini. On October 21, Tim Noonan writes to Gemma Swart and Sharan Burrow in copy: "FIFA publishes an anthem to Syria just when Assad is visiting the Kremlin" (referring to a FIFA article in which the Syrian U-17 soccer team said it was proud to participate at the U-17 World Cup in Russia, despite adverse conditions home). Swart answered: "Can we do something on Syria campaign? We need a picture of a bombed football field to show that this love anthem is just a joke. Could do a good share on social media".
She then goes on to speak about Shaikh Salman and the need to destabilise his campaign: "If he wants to be invisible as a candidate, it might be worth, now to build pressure and slinging him out of the FIFA candidate pack. Otherwise we legitimize him as a candidate. Do we really want that the February elections takes place without Reform Commission? More we can destabilize, better it is - starting right now".
How far the parties were prepared to go with their destabilisation campaign becomes clearer in an email from Deborah Unger, who writes to the ITUC, Fuller, Mersiades and the British MP Damian Collins and other allies on December 20: "We have investigated through our Swiss colleagues of Transparency the likelihood that Swiss government could dissolve the FIFA". However, they found that there was no strong will within the Swiss Parliament to do this.
Recently, says Weltwoche, the anti-FIFA campaign has found critics within the ITUC's own ranks and union representatives in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka – the main suppliers of labour to Qatar's construction sites. Sanjeeva Reddy, president of India's largest trade union, who is also Vice-President of the ITUC, said the workers they were trying to protect in the first place could in fact end up being the most harmed and that they were endangering thousands of jobs.
When reminded of the complaint filed to ILO Kathmandu against ITUC by Nepal's leading trade union body, INDECONT, for negligence of duty, Reddy reportedly said their experience has been the same. Reddy says the actions of Burrow are affecting the unity of trade union bodies in Asia.
Where will this saga end?
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
I Love FIFA-Politics
The International Trade Union Confederation in Geneva launched a campaign against the World Cup in Qatar and moved on to over throw Sepp Blatter. Instead of improving the conditions of workers, the activists shows to mix up inside the Soccer policy, as their internal-mail traffic shows.
The General Secretary of the ITUC-CSI, Sharan Burrow, just had a big show-up at the WEF in Davos. The 61-years old Australian woman called for better working conditions worldwide. That is something nobody will disagree.
However, one of the favorite destinations of the public money financing the ITUC seems to be the FIFA. The International Football Federation with its controversial activities around the globe provides itself the unionists with a perfect campaign platform. But working conditions and human rights seems to be an old marginal story as internal emails the Weltwoche have been aware of shows. Together with Transparency International and other NGOs, the mingled unionists have gone very active in the business policy around FIFA. During their lobbying action against Sepp Blatter, Burrow and company even evoked the possibility to dissolve the FIFA.
Let’s have a short flashback. In December 2010, the Qatar was awarded the organization of the FIFA World cup 2022. The two other candidates, the United States and South Korea went back home with empty hands. Just six months after the vote, in May 2011, the ITUC launched a campaign called “Re-run the Vote”. The ground of such campaign against Qatar was the question of human rights violations and that FIFA shall award the World Cup to countries where worker’s rights are respected. However, when looking at the Global Law Index made and published by the ITUC itself, only very few countries should have the right to host the World Cup indeed. On the watch list, one can find not just dictatorships such as North Korea and Cuba, but also stable democracies such as Ireland and Switzerland. This ITUC lists systematic violation of worker’s rights in 27 countries including the United States. An an equal number of countries such a Greece or Qatar, the fundamental rights are not guaranteed according to the ITUC list. Whatever one may think of these listings, a World Cup doubtly will provide a great platform to promote these rights. However, the ITUC strategy seems to be another one.
In June 2011, the ITUC hires the Australian public relations firm Essential Media Communications (EMC) to manage its just launched campaign against Qatar. In August, EMC Director Gemma Swart started to work as the press officer for Sharan Burrow alogside with ITUC communication Director Tim Noonan (another Australian). In March 2014, the ITUC published a 34 pages report on Qatar, stating that 1.4 million workers would be held in the desert like slaves and stated that FIFA could have the ability to change that. The title of the document itself, “The Case Against Qatar” in however another indirect attack on FIFA, challenging directly Qatar as a World Cup location and organizer.
In the same vein, the next ITUC campaign was entitled “Save the FIFA”, which was launched during spring 2015, in preparation of Blatter’s re-election. The election is launched. The polls are promoting four candidates: Sepp Blatter, Luis Figo, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein and Michael Van Praag. ITUC is moving to make the withdraw of the World Cup from Qatar an issue for all challengers. The key message for this campaign is: the FIFA must be protected against the Qatar-disaster so look for a candidate to the FIFA presidency that will vote against the World Cup in Qatar. And according to ITUC, only one candidate fulfilled all these requirements. The dutch Van Praag. These world-masters also tried to involve the BBC in their anti-Blatter campaign. In March 17, the ITUC employee David Norton emailed to Gemma Swart: “I wonder if you have heard from your contact at the BBC, whether they intend to carry out the candidates debates without Blatter”. Stupidly, the ITUC favourite Van Praag withdrawed his candidacy. However, this did not affect the fighting spirit of our unionists. ON the 20th of May, Swart writes in an email to Burrow and Noonan: “I love FIFA-politics. Better than the Labour party”.
During Spring 2015, the events rolled over. On May 27th, two days before Sepp Blatter’s re-election, the famous arrests of seven FIFA delegates happened in Zurich at the instigation of the United States attorney. However, Blatter was re-elected. A week later, on June 2nd, he gave the way to a legal and political Power play from overseas and announced his resignation for February 2016. Swart responded euphorically to the “Blatter’s exit visa”. In an email to Noonan she writes: “Qatar and Russia should now be invalidated. We can have a new assignment. And six months of open path for a campaign toward the Congress”. The next morning, both want to know from Borrow: “Do you think we can claim compensation from the investigations conducted by the FBI or Switzerland? If corruption is proven in the award of the WC to South Africa, Russia, Qatar, could government in Oz (Australia), the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, etc. sue the FIFA on the lost $$ for unfair tenders that costs millions to taxpayers ?”.
On June 15, 2015, Swart wrote a long email to Noonan and asked how they could launch a call for FIFA reforms to make it look more international. Swart also lists a few suggestions. The Union tempered her zeal in a diplomatic way and called for a more slower approach: “We need to find partners to go along with us, no surprise therefore, very gently”. On June 29, Swart then send emails to Alex (Wilks), campaign Director of the civil rights movement AVAAZ and to Bonita Mersiades, PR specialist working inside the official Australian sport federations. Until January 2010, Mersiades was in the Australian team to bid for the hosting of the 2018 or 2022 World Cup in Australia. Swart’s mail is entitled: “Fifa campaign coordination call Tuesday, June 30”. She called for more pressure to reform the football associations. And her wish seemed to be granted. Indeed, the FIFA Ethic Committee is about to meet for the first time in Bern on the 2nd of September. Soon after, she sends Blatter into the desert.
The fundings of a disinformation campaign
How NGOs are financing their campaigns is always a difficult question. But the Spin doctors of the causes appeared to be safe. On September 9, Swart wrote to Noonan and others: “Prince Ali just announced that he may run again (for the presidency). We do benefit if he wins and Sheikh Salman lose. We can use some money for a disinformation campaign against Salman”. You have to understand: Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain is the favorite for Blatter’s succession. Facing allegations that he had something to do with the repression of the uprising in Bahrain, the FIFA election commission did not retained this as no evidence were brought up as we will be notified later. Indeed, it was another Sheikh Salman.
On September 25, the Swiss federal prosecutor opened a case against Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini. Sharan Burrow writes from her IPhone to Noonan, Swart and Jaimie Fuller, the Chairman of the sports water manufacturer Skins: “We should all urge Blatter’s resignation”. On September 29th, Deborah Unger from transparency International writes and email entitled: “Next steps of FIFA campaign” to Swart, Noonan, Mersiades and Fuller: “It looks like both Platini and Blatter hold still (in their position). Would it be worthwhile to briefly Skype to talk about the next steps?. Amongst other things: We start in October a global call, in which people can choose the worst example of corruption and FIFA is one of our “candidate”.
ON 7th October, a conference call between Unger, Mersiades, Noonan, Swart and Fuller took place. An email from Unger summarizes what was discussed. They agreed that the pressure on sponsors like Coca-Cola and Adidas should be increased and a TV debate should be organized between the candidates for the FIFA presidency. Jaimie Fuller answered: “I propose to keep that secret and invite the candidates to a meeting. At the appropriate time, we can propose a TV debate with the rules of engagement. So no one who has promised can turn back due to schedule conflicts”.
On October 8, 2015, the Ethic Commission of the FIFA suspended Blatter and Platini for a period of 90 days. This spurs our top NGO football politicians. On October 21, Tim Noonan writes to Gemma Swart and Sharan Burrow in copy: “FIFA publishes a anthem to Syria just when Assad is visiting the Kremlin” (this refers to a FIFA statement according to which, the Syrian U-17 soccer team was so proud to participate, despite adverse conditions at the U-17 World Cup in Russia). Swart answered: “Can we do something on Syria campaign? We need a picture of a bombed football field to show that this love anthem is just a joke. Could do a good share on social media”.
Destabilize and Dissolve
Then she comes to speak about Sheikh Salman: “If he wants to be invisible as a candidate, it might be worth, now to build pressure and slinging him out of the FIFA candidate pack. Otherwise we legitimize him as a candidate. Do we really want that the February elections takes place without Reform Commission ? More we can destabilize, better it is — starting right now”. How far the agencies would go on their destabilization moves, if only they could do it, is clear in an email from Deborah Unger, who writes to the ITUC, Fuller, Mersiades and the British MP Damian Collins and its other allies on the 20 December :”We have investigate through our Swiss colleagues of Transparency the likelihood that Swiss government could dissolve the FIFA”.
However, they noticed that no strong will on this existed on the Swiss Parliament. Burrow defended their involvement as normal campaigning. But critics to the unions and their allies comes now mostly from within their own ranks. Union’s representatives in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka stated that these campaigns do not improve but deteriorate the worker’s positions. These are the countries from which the largest number of workers in Qatar comes from. If the World Cup will not be in Qatar, then they will be the first to lose. The profits will then go back to the industrialized countries, among them the United States. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) threatens thousands of jobs, complained Sanjeeva Reddy, President of the Inda largest trade union and also Vice-President of the ITUC. The workers will be harmed in the first place due to such campaigns and policies.
The General Secretary of the ITUC-CSI, Sharan Burrow, just had a big show-up at the WEF in Davos. The 61-years old Australian woman called for better working conditions worldwide. That is something nobody will disagree.
 |
| Sharan Burrow |
However, one of the favorite destinations of the public money financing the ITUC seems to be the FIFA. The International Football Federation with its controversial activities around the globe provides itself the unionists with a perfect campaign platform. But working conditions and human rights seems to be an old marginal story as internal emails the Weltwoche have been aware of shows. Together with Transparency International and other NGOs, the mingled unionists have gone very active in the business policy around FIFA. During their lobbying action against Sepp Blatter, Burrow and company even evoked the possibility to dissolve the FIFA.
Let’s have a short flashback. In December 2010, the Qatar was awarded the organization of the FIFA World cup 2022. The two other candidates, the United States and South Korea went back home with empty hands. Just six months after the vote, in May 2011, the ITUC launched a campaign called “Re-run the Vote”. The ground of such campaign against Qatar was the question of human rights violations and that FIFA shall award the World Cup to countries where worker’s rights are respected. However, when looking at the Global Law Index made and published by the ITUC itself, only very few countries should have the right to host the World Cup indeed. On the watch list, one can find not just dictatorships such as North Korea and Cuba, but also stable democracies such as Ireland and Switzerland. This ITUC lists systematic violation of worker’s rights in 27 countries including the United States. An an equal number of countries such a Greece or Qatar, the fundamental rights are not guaranteed according to the ITUC list. Whatever one may think of these listings, a World Cup doubtly will provide a great platform to promote these rights. However, the ITUC strategy seems to be another one.
In June 2011, the ITUC hires the Australian public relations firm Essential Media Communications (EMC) to manage its just launched campaign against Qatar. In August, EMC Director Gemma Swart started to work as the press officer for Sharan Burrow alogside with ITUC communication Director Tim Noonan (another Australian). In March 2014, the ITUC published a 34 pages report on Qatar, stating that 1.4 million workers would be held in the desert like slaves and stated that FIFA could have the ability to change that. The title of the document itself, “The Case Against Qatar” in however another indirect attack on FIFA, challenging directly Qatar as a World Cup location and organizer.
In the same vein, the next ITUC campaign was entitled “Save the FIFA”, which was launched during spring 2015, in preparation of Blatter’s re-election. The election is launched. The polls are promoting four candidates: Sepp Blatter, Luis Figo, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein and Michael Van Praag. ITUC is moving to make the withdraw of the World Cup from Qatar an issue for all challengers. The key message for this campaign is: the FIFA must be protected against the Qatar-disaster so look for a candidate to the FIFA presidency that will vote against the World Cup in Qatar. And according to ITUC, only one candidate fulfilled all these requirements. The dutch Van Praag. These world-masters also tried to involve the BBC in their anti-Blatter campaign. In March 17, the ITUC employee David Norton emailed to Gemma Swart: “I wonder if you have heard from your contact at the BBC, whether they intend to carry out the candidates debates without Blatter”. Stupidly, the ITUC favourite Van Praag withdrawed his candidacy. However, this did not affect the fighting spirit of our unionists. ON the 20th of May, Swart writes in an email to Burrow and Noonan: “I love FIFA-politics. Better than the Labour party”.
During Spring 2015, the events rolled over. On May 27th, two days before Sepp Blatter’s re-election, the famous arrests of seven FIFA delegates happened in Zurich at the instigation of the United States attorney. However, Blatter was re-elected. A week later, on June 2nd, he gave the way to a legal and political Power play from overseas and announced his resignation for February 2016. Swart responded euphorically to the “Blatter’s exit visa”. In an email to Noonan she writes: “Qatar and Russia should now be invalidated. We can have a new assignment. And six months of open path for a campaign toward the Congress”. The next morning, both want to know from Borrow: “Do you think we can claim compensation from the investigations conducted by the FBI or Switzerland? If corruption is proven in the award of the WC to South Africa, Russia, Qatar, could government in Oz (Australia), the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, etc. sue the FIFA on the lost $$ for unfair tenders that costs millions to taxpayers ?”.
On June 15, 2015, Swart wrote a long email to Noonan and asked how they could launch a call for FIFA reforms to make it look more international. Swart also lists a few suggestions. The Union tempered her zeal in a diplomatic way and called for a more slower approach: “We need to find partners to go along with us, no surprise therefore, very gently”. On June 29, Swart then send emails to Alex (Wilks), campaign Director of the civil rights movement AVAAZ and to Bonita Mersiades, PR specialist working inside the official Australian sport federations. Until January 2010, Mersiades was in the Australian team to bid for the hosting of the 2018 or 2022 World Cup in Australia. Swart’s mail is entitled: “Fifa campaign coordination call Tuesday, June 30”. She called for more pressure to reform the football associations. And her wish seemed to be granted. Indeed, the FIFA Ethic Committee is about to meet for the first time in Bern on the 2nd of September. Soon after, she sends Blatter into the desert.
The fundings of a disinformation campaign
How NGOs are financing their campaigns is always a difficult question. But the Spin doctors of the causes appeared to be safe. On September 9, Swart wrote to Noonan and others: “Prince Ali just announced that he may run again (for the presidency). We do benefit if he wins and Sheikh Salman lose. We can use some money for a disinformation campaign against Salman”. You have to understand: Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain is the favorite for Blatter’s succession. Facing allegations that he had something to do with the repression of the uprising in Bahrain, the FIFA election commission did not retained this as no evidence were brought up as we will be notified later. Indeed, it was another Sheikh Salman.
On September 25, the Swiss federal prosecutor opened a case against Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini. Sharan Burrow writes from her IPhone to Noonan, Swart and Jaimie Fuller, the Chairman of the sports water manufacturer Skins: “We should all urge Blatter’s resignation”. On September 29th, Deborah Unger from transparency International writes and email entitled: “Next steps of FIFA campaign” to Swart, Noonan, Mersiades and Fuller: “It looks like both Platini and Blatter hold still (in their position). Would it be worthwhile to briefly Skype to talk about the next steps?. Amongst other things: We start in October a global call, in which people can choose the worst example of corruption and FIFA is one of our “candidate”.
ON 7th October, a conference call between Unger, Mersiades, Noonan, Swart and Fuller took place. An email from Unger summarizes what was discussed. They agreed that the pressure on sponsors like Coca-Cola and Adidas should be increased and a TV debate should be organized between the candidates for the FIFA presidency. Jaimie Fuller answered: “I propose to keep that secret and invite the candidates to a meeting. At the appropriate time, we can propose a TV debate with the rules of engagement. So no one who has promised can turn back due to schedule conflicts”.
On October 8, 2015, the Ethic Commission of the FIFA suspended Blatter and Platini for a period of 90 days. This spurs our top NGO football politicians. On October 21, Tim Noonan writes to Gemma Swart and Sharan Burrow in copy: “FIFA publishes a anthem to Syria just when Assad is visiting the Kremlin” (this refers to a FIFA statement according to which, the Syrian U-17 soccer team was so proud to participate, despite adverse conditions at the U-17 World Cup in Russia). Swart answered: “Can we do something on Syria campaign? We need a picture of a bombed football field to show that this love anthem is just a joke. Could do a good share on social media”.
Destabilize and Dissolve
Then she comes to speak about Sheikh Salman: “If he wants to be invisible as a candidate, it might be worth, now to build pressure and slinging him out of the FIFA candidate pack. Otherwise we legitimize him as a candidate. Do we really want that the February elections takes place without Reform Commission ? More we can destabilize, better it is — starting right now”. How far the agencies would go on their destabilization moves, if only they could do it, is clear in an email from Deborah Unger, who writes to the ITUC, Fuller, Mersiades and the British MP Damian Collins and its other allies on the 20 December :”We have investigate through our Swiss colleagues of Transparency the likelihood that Swiss government could dissolve the FIFA”.
However, they noticed that no strong will on this existed on the Swiss Parliament. Burrow defended their involvement as normal campaigning. But critics to the unions and their allies comes now mostly from within their own ranks. Union’s representatives in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka stated that these campaigns do not improve but deteriorate the worker’s positions. These are the countries from which the largest number of workers in Qatar comes from. If the World Cup will not be in Qatar, then they will be the first to lose. The profits will then go back to the industrialized countries, among them the United States. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) threatens thousands of jobs, complained Sanjeeva Reddy, President of the Inda largest trade union and also Vice-President of the ITUC. The workers will be harmed in the first place due to such campaigns and policies.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Worker's warrior and ITUC head Sharan Burrow tackles injustice
As head of the world’s largest trade union federation, former ACTU president Sharan Burrow is waging war on international youth unemployment and ‘modern slavery’ in the Gulf states ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Australian Sharan Burrow is punching above her weight on the world stage, yet few in this country know much about her work. As head of the International Trade Union Confederation, Burrow is tackling modern slavery in Qatar as it prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and challenging the G20 on dangerous levels of youth unemployment. Representing 176 million members in 162 countries, the ITUC is a long way from the Australian royal commission into trade unions, where lurid allegations and criminal charges have tarnished parts of the movement Burrow once led as president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. She spoke to Mary Delahunty in Europe.
Mary Delahunty: You’re in Turkey trying to persuade the G20 to set a target to lift youth employment; you’re also gathering workers’ testimonies to complement your independent polling on living standards.
Sharan Burrow: The G20, the world’s biggest economies, recently adopted the “25 per cent by 2025” target for women’s employment and we, business and labour, ask now why not a target for youth? Get the young into work. We have stats in each country — 50 per cent of young people in Greece, for example, idle or in the black economy. This is where the structural decline starts. There are about 2.9 billion people in the global workforce. Only 60 per cent of workers have a job in the formal economy and even then the majority are in precarious work. Forty per cent are struggling in the informal economy with no minimum wage or income, no social protection and excluded from legislated labour rights, and these numbers are increasing. We want a worldwide minimum living wage, evidenced based. What does it cost to live on a minimum wage in each country? ITUC polling reveals falling or stagnating wages in 14 countries surveyed with 80 per cent of respondents in Australia, for example, saying they can’t save any money on declining incomes. With half the families in the 14 countries that constitute half the world’s population not keeping up with the cost of living, there’s a problem.
Mary Delahunty: In this workers’ focus group are you charting one of the deep structural downsides of globalisation?
Sharan Burrow: A hospital cleaner [in Turkey] has just told me she can work up to 11 hours a day for a monthly pay of $A525, and can be asked to do everything in that hospital, anything except surgery! Down the road at a dairy-processing plant locals serve international brands working up to 60 hours a week and are forced to use leave in lieu of overtime. This is the hidden workforce of some international supply chains, for global companies such as Siemens, Apple and Samsung. Siemens has 343,000 direct employees but another 4.6 million hidden workers, contractors around the world for which they have no responsibility. Many of these workers are women and they are part of the “desperation” economy.
Mary Delahunty: You go much further than fairness when you, and others, accuse the Arab states of slavery. Isn’t this mediaeval language in the 21st century?
Sharan Burrow: This is modern slavery. These workers are not in chains but they are owned lock, stock and barrel, and in the Gulf they’re building football stadiums and art museums. Armies of migrant workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Twenty-two million of them, 90 per cent of the population of the UAE and Qatar. Bound to an employer by the kafala sponsorship system, these labourers arrive, heavily indebted from recruitment and transit fees, often to find their Gulf dream a mirage. Typically the employer takes their passport, pays them much less than promised despite punishing hours in the desert heat, and crams them into substandard housing. The campaign to end slavery in the Gulf states began in 2011. We had undertaken a global scan to identify where labour rights were absent and where the threats to progress were. While we have many countries at risk, on our global rights index the Gulf states stood out. They are the richest bloc of countries pursuing rapid development but on the back of enslaved workers. The 2022 FIFA World Cup had been awarded to Qatar despite being a slave state and so that’s where we started. Indeed it’s a long story but we started with two bloggers four years ago and now it is a global storm.
Mary Delahunty: As general secretary of the ITUC you have taken personal risks to take journalists and TV cameras into the workers’ sheds of Doha [Qatar’s capital]. The pressure of this soft power has seen FIFA sponsors such as Visa, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola join the call for an independent inquiry and the toppling of [FIFA president] Sepp Blatter.
Sharan Burrow: And kids in Pakistan have been saved from the factories making footballs with FIFA labels.
Mary Delahunty: Now you are being asked to take on the Guggenheim.
Sharan Burrow: International art brands New York’s Guggenheim and the Paris Louvre are building museums in the Gulf and they’re also doing it on the back of exploited migrant workers. For five years artists and activists have been pushing the museums to recognise this. On international Labour Day on May 1 last year, when the artists’ protest shut down the Guggenheim for the first time in its history, the shocked trustees asked for a meeting. The artists called me.
Mary Delahunty: What did you recommend?
Sharan Burrow: The FIFA strategy. Build public waves of pressure. Insist on the moral responsibility of the Guggenheim and the Louvre for the conditions of the workers building their museums, but also look to the sensitivity of their sponsors. Say to these international companies, “Don’t do business in these slave states or you’re at risk, your brand reputation is at risk.” So a social media campaign broke out: “Dior, the Essence of Slavery.” Sponsors are risking their global reputation here but their brand and presence can force change. It’s the sons and daughters test. Would you want your kids to be in this situation. And that’s not to absolve the Arab states from responsibility. Why are the richest countries in the world deciding to build their modern nations on modern slavery?
Mary Delahunty: When the UAE unveiled its “Island of Happiness” concept on Saadiyat, off the coast of Abu Dhabi, part of the pitch to sell its super villas was access to branches of the world’s most iconic art museums.
Sharan Burrow: Apparently it’s a necessary cultural amenity demanded by the global investor class, but it’s got a hidden cost. ITUC’s goal is to eliminate the kafala system by 2018. We’ve lodged a case with the ILO [International Labour Organisation] against forced labour in the UAE and we say that the World Cup should not go ahead in Qatar without workers’ rights, nor should the Guggenheim and the Louvre be built in the Gulf without basic workers’ rights.
Mary Delahunty: You have met with Barack Obama in the White House, Germany’s Angela Merkel and leaders in Africa and Latin America. You have been asked by the sheikhs of Qatar to meet their prime minister. What will you say to him?
Sharan Burrow: There are more than 1400 workers dead already among the million building the World Cup stadiums. The Gulf states don’t recognize ILO standards but we are asking for a living wage, safe working conditions and a debt settlement fund for the recruitment fees. All we want is for governments and companies to follow the rules.
Mary Delahunty: You’ve worked with UN climate envoy Mary Robinson and now Nicholas Stern on the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. Does this mean big industrial job losses?
Sharan Burrow: I think citizens are ahead of governments on this. There are no jobs on a dead planet, so we are working on a transition plan, a bargain for industrial transformation into a low-carbon economy that gives workers and companies fair adjustment.
Mary Delahunty: The Productivity Commission’s draft workplace relations review concluded that: “Contrary to perceptions, Australia’s labour market performance and flexibility is relatively good by global standards … Strike activity is low, wages are responsive to economic downturns and there are multiple forms of employment arrangements that offer employees and employers flexible options for working.” Though Labor fears the further fragmentation of bargaining with employer-driven “collective contracts” and, as predicted, the Productivity Commission is going after Sunday penalties particularly in the hospitality industries, does Australia need unions?
Sharan Burrow: Show me an employer who voluntarily offers a raise. Are we prepared to have corporations driving our social norms? Unions are still the biggest institution, bigger than our political parties, bigger than the churches and I see it all the time here in Europe, they’re the bulwark of democracy, the basis of social Europe and the grand bargain that built it. Unions are the biggest cross-border movement on the planet with global research and campaigning capacity at the moment focused on reducing the deficits of globalization.
Australian Sharan Burrow is punching above her weight on the world stage, yet few in this country know much about her work. As head of the International Trade Union Confederation, Burrow is tackling modern slavery in Qatar as it prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and challenging the G20 on dangerous levels of youth unemployment. Representing 176 million members in 162 countries, the ITUC is a long way from the Australian royal commission into trade unions, where lurid allegations and criminal charges have tarnished parts of the movement Burrow once led as president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. She spoke to Mary Delahunty in Europe.
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| Sharan Burrow |
Mary Delahunty: You’re in Turkey trying to persuade the G20 to set a target to lift youth employment; you’re also gathering workers’ testimonies to complement your independent polling on living standards.
Sharan Burrow: The G20, the world’s biggest economies, recently adopted the “25 per cent by 2025” target for women’s employment and we, business and labour, ask now why not a target for youth? Get the young into work. We have stats in each country — 50 per cent of young people in Greece, for example, idle or in the black economy. This is where the structural decline starts. There are about 2.9 billion people in the global workforce. Only 60 per cent of workers have a job in the formal economy and even then the majority are in precarious work. Forty per cent are struggling in the informal economy with no minimum wage or income, no social protection and excluded from legislated labour rights, and these numbers are increasing. We want a worldwide minimum living wage, evidenced based. What does it cost to live on a minimum wage in each country? ITUC polling reveals falling or stagnating wages in 14 countries surveyed with 80 per cent of respondents in Australia, for example, saying they can’t save any money on declining incomes. With half the families in the 14 countries that constitute half the world’s population not keeping up with the cost of living, there’s a problem.
Mary Delahunty: In this workers’ focus group are you charting one of the deep structural downsides of globalisation?
Sharan Burrow: A hospital cleaner [in Turkey] has just told me she can work up to 11 hours a day for a monthly pay of $A525, and can be asked to do everything in that hospital, anything except surgery! Down the road at a dairy-processing plant locals serve international brands working up to 60 hours a week and are forced to use leave in lieu of overtime. This is the hidden workforce of some international supply chains, for global companies such as Siemens, Apple and Samsung. Siemens has 343,000 direct employees but another 4.6 million hidden workers, contractors around the world for which they have no responsibility. Many of these workers are women and they are part of the “desperation” economy.
Mary Delahunty: You go much further than fairness when you, and others, accuse the Arab states of slavery. Isn’t this mediaeval language in the 21st century?
Sharan Burrow: This is modern slavery. These workers are not in chains but they are owned lock, stock and barrel, and in the Gulf they’re building football stadiums and art museums. Armies of migrant workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Twenty-two million of them, 90 per cent of the population of the UAE and Qatar. Bound to an employer by the kafala sponsorship system, these labourers arrive, heavily indebted from recruitment and transit fees, often to find their Gulf dream a mirage. Typically the employer takes their passport, pays them much less than promised despite punishing hours in the desert heat, and crams them into substandard housing. The campaign to end slavery in the Gulf states began in 2011. We had undertaken a global scan to identify where labour rights were absent and where the threats to progress were. While we have many countries at risk, on our global rights index the Gulf states stood out. They are the richest bloc of countries pursuing rapid development but on the back of enslaved workers. The 2022 FIFA World Cup had been awarded to Qatar despite being a slave state and so that’s where we started. Indeed it’s a long story but we started with two bloggers four years ago and now it is a global storm.
Mary Delahunty: As general secretary of the ITUC you have taken personal risks to take journalists and TV cameras into the workers’ sheds of Doha [Qatar’s capital]. The pressure of this soft power has seen FIFA sponsors such as Visa, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola join the call for an independent inquiry and the toppling of [FIFA president] Sepp Blatter.
Sharan Burrow: And kids in Pakistan have been saved from the factories making footballs with FIFA labels.
Mary Delahunty: Now you are being asked to take on the Guggenheim.
Sharan Burrow: International art brands New York’s Guggenheim and the Paris Louvre are building museums in the Gulf and they’re also doing it on the back of exploited migrant workers. For five years artists and activists have been pushing the museums to recognise this. On international Labour Day on May 1 last year, when the artists’ protest shut down the Guggenheim for the first time in its history, the shocked trustees asked for a meeting. The artists called me.
Mary Delahunty: What did you recommend?
Sharan Burrow: The FIFA strategy. Build public waves of pressure. Insist on the moral responsibility of the Guggenheim and the Louvre for the conditions of the workers building their museums, but also look to the sensitivity of their sponsors. Say to these international companies, “Don’t do business in these slave states or you’re at risk, your brand reputation is at risk.” So a social media campaign broke out: “Dior, the Essence of Slavery.” Sponsors are risking their global reputation here but their brand and presence can force change. It’s the sons and daughters test. Would you want your kids to be in this situation. And that’s not to absolve the Arab states from responsibility. Why are the richest countries in the world deciding to build their modern nations on modern slavery?
Mary Delahunty: When the UAE unveiled its “Island of Happiness” concept on Saadiyat, off the coast of Abu Dhabi, part of the pitch to sell its super villas was access to branches of the world’s most iconic art museums.
Sharan Burrow: Apparently it’s a necessary cultural amenity demanded by the global investor class, but it’s got a hidden cost. ITUC’s goal is to eliminate the kafala system by 2018. We’ve lodged a case with the ILO [International Labour Organisation] against forced labour in the UAE and we say that the World Cup should not go ahead in Qatar without workers’ rights, nor should the Guggenheim and the Louvre be built in the Gulf without basic workers’ rights.
Mary Delahunty: You have met with Barack Obama in the White House, Germany’s Angela Merkel and leaders in Africa and Latin America. You have been asked by the sheikhs of Qatar to meet their prime minister. What will you say to him?
Sharan Burrow: There are more than 1400 workers dead already among the million building the World Cup stadiums. The Gulf states don’t recognize ILO standards but we are asking for a living wage, safe working conditions and a debt settlement fund for the recruitment fees. All we want is for governments and companies to follow the rules.
Mary Delahunty: You’ve worked with UN climate envoy Mary Robinson and now Nicholas Stern on the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. Does this mean big industrial job losses?
Sharan Burrow: I think citizens are ahead of governments on this. There are no jobs on a dead planet, so we are working on a transition plan, a bargain for industrial transformation into a low-carbon economy that gives workers and companies fair adjustment.
Mary Delahunty: The Productivity Commission’s draft workplace relations review concluded that: “Contrary to perceptions, Australia’s labour market performance and flexibility is relatively good by global standards … Strike activity is low, wages are responsive to economic downturns and there are multiple forms of employment arrangements that offer employees and employers flexible options for working.” Though Labor fears the further fragmentation of bargaining with employer-driven “collective contracts” and, as predicted, the Productivity Commission is going after Sunday penalties particularly in the hospitality industries, does Australia need unions?
Sharan Burrow: Show me an employer who voluntarily offers a raise. Are we prepared to have corporations driving our social norms? Unions are still the biggest institution, bigger than our political parties, bigger than the churches and I see it all the time here in Europe, they’re the bulwark of democracy, the basis of social Europe and the grand bargain that built it. Unions are the biggest cross-border movement on the planet with global research and campaigning capacity at the moment focused on reducing the deficits of globalization.
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