Founded in 1896 as the International Federation of Ship, Dock and River Workers, the ITF adopted its current name in 1898 when it expanded to include transport workers in non-maritime industries.
The organisation had its roots in a number of European trade union federations, including seafarer and railway workers’ federations in the early 1890s and later out of the international co-operation of European transport unions during the 1896-97 dockers strikes in Rotterdam and Hamburg.
The ITF was founded through the motives of international solidarity and belief in the maxim that 'unity is strength'.
ITF has played a key role in advocating for and improving working conditions for transport workers since the trade union movement began and continues to be a driving force for transformation across the globe.
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