The International Transport Workers Federation

I truly appreciate the work of the ITF. However, during the incident in Avonmouth, I only considered one very important point: The company I was serving at that time was good enough to give me an opportunity to join them and undergo training as an Officer Cadet. Therefore, by not joining the ITF, and not accepting the wages as per their scales, I wanted to repay my gratitude to my first employer.

Following is an outline of the ITF:

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is an international trade union federation of transport workers' unions. Any independent trade union with members in the transport industry is eligible for membership of the ITF.

Around 700 unions representing over 4.5 million transport workers from some 150 countries are members of the ITF. It is one of several Global Federation Unions allied with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The ITF's headquarters is located in London and it has offices in Nairobi, Ouagadougou, Tokyo, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Georgetown, Moscow and Brussels.

The aims of the ITF are set out in its Constitution. They are:

1.      To promote respect for trade union and human rights worldwide

2.      To work for peace based on social justice and economic progress

3.      To help its affiliated unions defend the interests of their members

4.      To provide research and information services to its affiliates

5.      To provide general assistance to transport workers in difficulty

Although the range of ITF activities is very wide, they can be best summed up under three key headings:

·        Representation

·        Information

·        Practical solidarity

The ITF represents the interests of transport workers' unions in bodies which take decisions affecting jobs, employment conditions or safety in the transport industry, such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).