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)
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