Stirling Smith

Stirling was active in trade union education in the UK before working in India as a Chief Technical Adviser for the International Labour Organisation. He has worked for DFID, British Council, Fair Labour Association, trade unions, NGOs and several companies. His areas of expertise include child labour, HIV/AIDS in the workplace, migrant labour, social dialogue and industrial relations, health and safety at work and co-operatives.

Blog posts from this author

Death of a worker

4 July 2014

A small news story tucked away on the back page of a Dhaka newspaper should remind us of why we need ethical trade urgently, thinks Stirling Smith, ETI trainer, writing from Dhaka.

Male garment factory workers, sitting at sewing machines, India

The new Indian government - a better deal for workers?

3 June 2014

Reporting from New Delhi on labour legislation that could be scrapped under the new BJP government.

Can prison labour ever be acceptable?

24 January 2014

Reports that prison labour in East Germany produced products for a number of well-known companies should set a few alarm bells ringing.

Happy New Year?

15 January 2014

Stirling Smith expects few surprises in the ethical trade stories that will hit the headlines in 2014.

Garment factory workers, Bangladesh

Is Bangladesh's new minimum wage enough?

15 November 2013

The minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh has been raised. Is it enough and will workers get the full benefit?

Demonstrations marking the Rana Plaza building collapse, Bangladesh | Photo: Awaj Foundation

Rana Plaza – six months on

24 October 2013

It is six months since the Rana Plaza collapse, with the deaths of 1,127 workers and nearly 2,000 workers injured. How do we stop another disaster?

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