ITF
About
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a global federation of transport-worker trade unions. Although ITF is not primarily a chaplaincy network, ITF inspectors operate from offices in major ports worldwide and provide advocacy, wage-recovery, and abandonment response for seafarers on FoC (flag-of-convenience) vessels. Many seafarer-welfare centres host or coordinate with the local ITF inspector.
Mission
Trade-union representation and welfare advocacy for transport workers worldwide, including seafarer advocacy and wage recovery.
What to expect at a centre
An ITF office or ITF-hosted centre is advocacy-focused — wage casework, contract review, abandonment crisis response, and pressure on operators via flag administrations. Some offer wifi and visiting space; many work in cooperation with the local Mission to Seafarers or Stella Maris.
What to bring
Bring your contract, wage statements, seaman's book, and any operator correspondence. For abandonment or wage-theft cases, photographs of the vessel, ship's name, and IMO number are critical.