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Following the first-ever strike by ITF staff in the history of the organisation, we have held constructive negotiations with ITF management to reach a resolution on outstanding issues arising from the restructuring process.

In seeking to move forward, there are important lessons that we believe can be drawn from this tumultuous experience:

1. Meaningfully engaging with staff from the start

Unlike other global unions facing financial challenges, ITF management went to its board first to secure a mandate for cuts before holding serious conversations with staff representatives. 

After denying staff the opportunity to engage with the Financial Sustainability Group (FSG), putting forward a non-negotiable 25% cut in 2025 put us on a collision course from the beginning. 

A poorly-planned consultation process is not a substitute for genuine staff involvement in helping to shape the future direction of the organisation. 

2. Prioritising equality as a core value

We can only succeed as an organisation if we practice the values that we preach. We must confront the reality that there are long-standing issues around equality in our workplace.

We are a less equal organisation as a result of the cuts: 80% of the the more than 40 leavers from the bargaining unit are women.

Similarly, as it now stands 80% of the 15 current or past union representatives in scope of the change process are not part of the new structure.  

Serious concerns remain around gaps in the application of legal safeguards for new parents.

Staff in the Asia Pacific restructure had less access to consultation and protections than their London colleagues, while other colleagues were excluded from the process entirely due to the type of their contracts.

For all these reasons the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and principle of collective negotiation over changes to terms and conditions of employment remain essential for protecting the rights of ITF staff.

An evaluation of the use of non-standard forms of employment and unequal treatment towards affected staff is also important if we are to uphold ITF principles going forward. 

3. Strengthening financial controls and disclosure

It is hard to accept such an abrupt reduction in the headcount of permanent staff following a period of seemingly unrestrained spending on external consultancy firms.  

We believe that much more needs to be done to rein-in discretionary spending in areas such as business-class travel, entertaining, expense claims, and corporate consultancy fees to ensure the organisation is financially sustainable.

4. Ensuring we have a viable strategy to deliver our goals

We have an ambitious workplan to implement over the next four years, however we now have significantly less capacity.

We have lost staff in critical areas where the ITF invested significant time and money to distinguish itself. Important activities, which affiliates depend on, are already being cancelled or adversely impacted.

Although the downsizing process is nearly complete, the strategic conversation on how we achieve our six demands has been absent. We want to ensure the objectives endorsed by Congress are reflected in our financial forecasts and operational plans.

Significant work intensification and staff burnout may result where cuts have been most severe and vacant positions go unfilled.

New technologies like AI can be explored but there must be negotiation with staff over their use and longer-term implications. 

5. Deepening the role of affiliates in governance

We hope that this experience can serve a greater purpose. We as staff can raise concerns, however ultimately it is for ITF affiliates to decide what kind of organisation they want to steward. 

We would like to work at a union federation where affiliates are confident that we are moving forward on the right track and are prepared to take a more active role where you feel we can do better.

The message below was shared with all ITF staff following the last day of work (30 September 2025) for a large number of colleagues departing due to the restructuring process.

Dear colleagues, 

As ITF staff we all share a common goal that is meant to guide every decision we make: advancing the rights and wellbeing of transport workers globally. Even when working on an international scale, creating social change is not just about achieving critical mass, it starts with building critical connections. Everything comes back to people. 

That’s why it hurts so much to say goodbye to so many talented colleagues who have dedicated years of their lives to the ITF and its mission. It is hard to communicate our immense gratitude for their contributions alongside our profound sadness regarding the circumstances leading to their departure. 

Following our strike last month, we continue to meet with management to seek a resolution to our dispute. We are trying to find common ground on the key issues flagged by members when the proposed agreement was voted down on 11 September: avoiding compulsory redundancies, maintaining redundancy protection going forward, and continuing to have a mechanism to ensure salary and grading are handled fairly. These discussions have been constructive and are ongoing. 

At the outset of this restructuring process, we raised serious concerns around fairness and equality. We are still waiting for management to provide a revised Equality Impact Assessment (EIA). The initial document did not follow our usual process and failed to meet an acceptable standard, which is to identify and mitigate potential harms before decisions are taken. 

Our preliminary analysis of staffing changes to the Unite bargaining unit suggests that 80% of the approximately 40 leavers are women. This is worrying in light of ongoing concerns regarding gender inequality in our workplace. 

No EIA was shared with Asia Pacific staff undergoing a parallel restructuring process, where the scale of changes are even more pronounced.   

As the restructuring timeline comes to a close, members have approached us with a number of individual and collective concerns that have yet to be resolved by management. Many of these issues have equality considerations including:  

• Parental rights
• Flexible working
• Medical leave
• Pay fairness  
• Freedom of expression
• Basic employment rights

There are many learnings for the future, not least of which is the need to put in place safeguards to ensure equal treatment for all ITF staff irrespective of their place of work or form of contract.  

In trying to find a way forward, it is critical that we treat these concerns with due regard and the utmost care. We remain committed to finding a resolution so that we all can return our full attention to the critical work of our organisation. 

In solidarity, 

ITF Staff Union

We are writing to inform you that ITF staff are striking from 15-18 September due to insufficient movement by ITF management in redundancy negotiations. 

A proposal put to the union membership was rejected by 72% on 11 September. Members were not ready to accept a deal that did not provide firm commitments to remedy their widely and deeply felt concerns. 

Our members have been clear that the restructuring process has been a poorly-managed disaster from start to finish. There has been no mention of the ITF’s six demands in the new structure and how these can be achieved after decimating our organisational capacity. 

Despite half of London staff applying for “voluntary redundancy”, staff who wish to remain at the ITF are still at risk of compulsory redundancy, including workers with protected status under the law. Management has not committed to protections against a similar fiasco in the future. Concerns over due process and treatment of vulnerable staff, including staff in regions, remain outstanding.

This situation is not helped by management floating a proposal to freeze staff pay while simultaneously aiming to increase both the minimum and maximum pay rates of senior management roles in order to remain “competitive”. 

Following rejection of the proposal, management declined to negotiate further to find an agreement that would have allowed us to avoid a strike. They have informed the union that they will not attend our scheduled negotiation meeting on Wednesday 17 September. We are disappointed that ITF management has walked away from the bargaining table at this critical moment. 

Our strike is a last resort as we seek a positive future for the ITF. As per the press release from our union Unite: “These strike dates coincide with the ITF’s Maritime Roundtable (MRT) in Cyprus. There will be a physical picket line in London along with a virtual picket line globally, in recognition that the work of ITF staff is international and essential to delivering events like the MRT.”

Our work is global, so too is our picket line. We hope that ITF affiliates will stand with ITF staff so that we can find a fair resolution to our dispute. 

We remain hopeful that we can resolve this dispute in a way that upholds our trade union principles of fairness and equality. 

In solidarity, 

Shop Stewards

ITF Staff Union (Unite LE1267)

New strike dates confirmed in official press release from Unite the Union.

Additional strike action announced due to lack of movement by management in redundancy negotiations

More than 100 workers at the London-based International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have announced new strike dates in response to planned redundancies and attacks on collective bargaining.

The workers, members of Unite, are striking after the ITF’s management initiated an organisation-wide restructuring that includes cutting a quarter of the workforce this year.

In July, the workers voted by 89 per cent for strike action and by 90 per cent for action short of strike action on a turn out of 89 per cent.

An initial set of strike dates in July were postponed when management committed to act with urgency to progress negotiations.

Frustration over the lack of movement by management since then has resulted in fresh strike action being announced.

Unite regional coordinating officer Matt Freeman said: “ITF staff have been put through massive stress and anxiety throughout this restructuring process.

“Our members had no choice but to call additional strike dates to force management to progress negotiations. They have Unite’s full support.”

ITF staff will go on strike from 15 to 18 September, while maintaining an overtime ban and work to rule mandate in place from 17 July. Industrial action will continue if the dispute is not resolved.

These strike dates coincide with the ITF’s Maritime Roundtable (MRT) in Cyprus. There will be a physical picket line in London along with a virtual picket line globally, in recognition that the work of ITF staff is international and essential to delivering events like the MRT.  

Matt Freeman added: “We continue to be concerned about the proposed redundancies proposed being uneven. Management roles are male dominated, while the majority of the bargaining unit are women workers.

“We believe it is entirely possible for management to commit to a fair and equal resolution to our dispute without compulsory redundancies.”

We return to the bargaining table today with the ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton to negotiate a fair resolution to our dispute.

As staff we are advocating to protect jobs and the critical work of the organisation. The cuts being proposed endanger the trade union work we have dedicated years of our lives to supporting.

We have a mandate to secure the following outcomes:

• Ensure staff cuts are a last resort
• Follow due process
• Commit to financial transparency and accountability
• Guarantee fairness and equality
• Move forward with sound planning

On 28 August, ITF staff union representatives will be meeting with the ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton, following requests we have made since the restructuring process began in June.

We remain committed to finding a resolution to this dispute that upholds our trade union principles of fairness and equality, while protecting the critical work of our organisation and putting safeguards in place to prevent such a crisis from re-occurring.

Our industrial action mandate for both actions short of strike and strike action remains in place and we will be carefully assessing our next steps in relation to the progress we are able to achieve on these important matters.

Our outstanding issues are organised around five key demands:

• Protect jobs
• Uphold our CBA
• Accountability
• Equality
• Sound Planning

And what does the number of applications mean for the future of the organisation?

Staff have voted for industrial action for the first time in the 129-year history of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). We are fighting for the future of our organisation, armed with the conviction that our work matters. 

From brutal cuts to mass “voluntary” departures

ITF management are seeking to cut 25% of staff roles in the London headquarters this year. This severe reduction in staff is the guiding objective of a poorly-planned restructuring process to find £4 million in cost savings. 

The uneven cuts being proposed will empty the organisation of critical capacity while magnifying existing inequalities. 

ITF regional staff are also facing drastic restructures, starting with those in Asia Pacific in a parallel timeline with London.

Even more worrying is the revelation that 50% of staff in London and Asia Pacific have submitted applications for what management are calling “voluntary redundancy”. 

Jump before you are pushed out

If an organisation is looking to reduce headcount responsibly, you would expect a voluntary redundancy process to precede any restructure. 

First, make an open offer to staff to see who might be ready to leave the workplace, and then see whether any further savings are required to balance the books. 

This logical sequence is what the staff union proposed, in line with past precedent from 2012, which successfully avoided the need for any compulsory redundancies.  

Instead, ITF management only opened an organisation-wide “voluntary” redundancy window after sending a large proportion of staff “at risk of redundancy” letters and beginning a formal consultation period on job cuts.

A great deal of uncertainty remains. Staff can withdraw their applications for a limited period of time and may reconsider when a clearer picture of the new structure is finally presented.  

Still, it is difficult to describe this decision as “voluntary” for our affected colleagues who have been asked to gamble on their futures.

• Option 1: Choose to stay and contend for a role in the new structure with no guarantees – risking compulsory redundancy.

• Option 2: Resign from the ITF and re-enter a tight job market to receive an enhanced “voluntary” redundancy offer. 

Signs staff are being failed by management 

Some staff received letters stating that their roles are not at risk, only to subsequently receive letters saying that they are. 

A number of our colleagues have not received any formal communications and have been excluded from the consultation process, seemingly due to their contract status. 

Following the close of the consultation, an as yet undetermined number of staff are expected to receive assurances that their jobs are no longer at risk.

Nevertheless, this 50% figure – which represents over 75 applications from London and Asia Pacific for “voluntary” redundancy – is a clear sign that all is not well. 

A recent survey found that 94.8% of respondents did not feel they had been provided sufficient information to make an informed decision about their future, while 91.8% indicated that the “change process” had negatively affected their mental or physical health. 

There is a sense that ITF management started the process with an end goal in mind, but had not done their due diligence to properly plan the complicated logistics of an organisation-wide restructure. 

This context cannot be ignored as a contributing factor towards the large number of applications for “voluntary” redundancy. 

The leadership of any organisation should be worried if 50% of its staff would consider leaving rather than remain in their current environment. 

What does this say about the culture of our workplace, the degree to which people feel valued, and their expectations for the future?

Tragic loss of organisational capacity

While we are saddened by this news, we support our colleagues who have had to make these difficult choices. 

Some may be ready to move on. Many others would prefer to stay, but can’t afford to take the risk and see little prospect of holding onto their employment. 

We know that each individual has to make the decision that is best for themselves and their families. 

But make no mistake: this is a tragedy on a collective scale. 

Hundreds of years in combined experience will disappear. This is a tremendous loss of institutional memory, specialised skills, and relationships with ITF-affiliated unions that dedicated staff members have cultivated over their working lives. 

After approving an ambitious plan at the ITF Congress in Marrakesh in October 2024, that vision is being jeopardised. 

Staff have been left feeling they are disposable. There is a widespread lack of understanding about the work we do. 

During consultations, teams flagged the various ways in which cuts would make it impossible to produce what was committed to in Marrakesh. Management appeared neither particularly surprised nor concerned about this information. 

At a critical historical moment, the signal being broadcast from the ITF to our fellow trade unionists and to the wider world is that we are retrenching rather than advancing.

Solidarity is the way forward 

We are all committed trade unionists. As much as we are concerned about the risks to our livelihoods, we are also deeply concerned about the future of the organisation. 

We know that our work matters: we’ve been asked to do it by you, the ITF’s affiliated unions. Congress approved a bold plan, not severe cuts. 

We remain hopeful that we can reach a resolution that upholds trade union values of fairness and equality. 

For us as staff that means: 

• Avoiding any compulsory redundancies
• Upholding our commitment to create a more equal workplace 
• Recognising the sanctity of our Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Respecting the rights of regional staff under the ITF Constitution
• Ensuring responsible stewardship of financial resources
• And protecting the essential work of our organisation

We need your support to make this fair resolution a reality. 

As a result of unprecedented compounding pressure from our industrial action mandate, affiliate engagement and public scrutiny, ITF management are finally moving at the bargaining table.

We carefully considered the employer’s offer and agreed to postpone our Industrial Action dates on 22 and 29 July, while reserving our right to give notice for new strike dates if negotiations fail to progress in a satisfactory manner.

We have secured:

• Agreement to extend consultation period to minimum of 80 days, with commitment to use this time to ensure staff concerns are adequately addressed
• Agreement to provide further financial disclosure
• Agreement to schedule meeting with ITF General Secretary
• Commitment to continue negotiations on all other items and to make significant progress by end of July

While we have achieved an important step forward, our dispute has not been resolved.

We will need to continue to apply steady pressure to secure a fair resolution.

Our overtime ban and mandate to “work to rule” remains in full effect.