ITF's London Employees Vote to Go on Strike Against ITF

Unionized employees of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) have voted to go on strike against the ITF. Represented by British union Unite, the ITF's employees are pushing back against a restructuring plan that would reduce ITF's headcount by one quarter.

The reduction in force is a cost-saving measure, but the union noted that ITF's senior management team will not be laid off - and that top leaders saw their pay increase by nearly half over the period from 2021-24. The pay package for the ITF's secretary general comes to $420,000, according to Unite. This is at the high end for a transport union leader, but it is far from a record, even within the ITF's own sphere: It is less than half the salary of ILA president Harold Daggett, who earns about $900,000 per year. (ILA is one of the ITF's largest regional unions.)

More than 100 ITF employees in London will go out on strike to protest the downsizing and ITF's alleged attacks on unionization, according to Unite. 90 percent voted in favor of strike action.

“The treatment of these workers by ITF’s leadership is totally unnecessary and unacceptable. The counterproductive cuts and attacks on collective bargaining must be scrapped. Unite will support our members 100 percent until that happens," said Unite regional officer Mercedes Sanchez.

The strike is an unusual development for a workers' union known for seafarer advocacy. ITF is one of the few organizations actively monitoring and advocating for seafarers on a global scale, in all geographic regions, and its case workers are often the first (or the only) to report seafarer abandonment cases.

It is also the convener of collective bargaining negotiations on seafarer minimum wage levels. It regularly meets with the International Chamber of Shipping to set foreign-flag wages for ratings, which are currently set at about $690 per month.