A GROUP of women made up of current and former employees, as well as trade unionists from affiliates of the ITF, are campaigning for an independent investigation into allegations of serious sexual misconduct by the general secretary, Steve Cotton.

The women are calling for a female KC to undertake a full investigation into the allegations that span back more than 10 years.

“They need to be held accountable,” said one woman, “I still struggle with the psychological effects of working in such a toxic environment.”

The ITF is a global union organisation representing over 18 million transport workers in more than 150 countries. Its headquarters are in south London. In its mission statement, the ITF claims to “work for a world where all workers are treated equally — with dignity and respect; where everyone can work in a safe environment free from fear and discrimination.”

The ITF also champions gender equality. Its dedicated women’s programme works to advance women’s participation and leadership in transport unions, eliminate gender-based discrimination, and promote workplace safety and dignity for women globally.

In October last year, Novara Media published an article after speaking to women from all sections of the ITF, past and present, from at least five different countries. Victims and witnesses opened up about sexual harassment, money being used at strip clubs after meetings and even the procurement of prostituted women.

Women and men at the ITF have tried to raise the issues of Cotton’s behaviour and a toxic “boys’ club” culture for years. There have been grievances, informal investigations and formal investigations, including Investors in People, which the ITF failed in 2017.

The majority of the grievances were heard by Howlett Brown, an agency that manages the “safe reporting line” at the ITF. Not one case has been upheld by them. Appeals to grievances turned down by Howlett Brown are heard by assistant general secretary, Rob Johnston, one of the three senior officials involved in the ballot-rigging scandal at Amicus-AEEU in the early 2000s.

In 2022, the Kapur Law firm in India, commissioned by the ITF to investigate allegations of sexual harassment and bullying in their Delhi office, published a report of its findings. Kapur had special criticism for Johnston, describing him as “demonstrating a uniquely inadequate and unsatisfactory grasp of both gender and workplace harassment issues and the consequent equality implications for the complainants in terms of both process and substance.”

The Kapur report characterised the ITF’s handling of such cases as “an all-male cast of management handling complaints of gender and equality violations without any knowledge, skill or expertise in gender and equality issues was not only negligent but displayed a casual disregard for gender-based workplace harassment and the women’s workforce at the ITF.”

This is underscored by the fact that the general secretary is exempt from being a target of the internal grievance procedure.

At least 15 women have departed the ITF under suspicious circumstances in the last decade. Many were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which are no longer enforceable in the UK when used to silence individuals from reporting harassment or bullying. Revoking these NDAs is one of the demands of the women.

Witnesses have spoken about Cotton’s inappropriate behaviour and incidences of sexual harassment dating back to 2011, including forcing his way into a woman’s hotel room and following another woman into the toilets and making lewd comments. Cotton denied the allegations, even though he issued a written apology to one of the victims at the time. The ITF presidents apologised on his behalf, saying: “We recognise that the transport industry remains overwhelmingly male-dominated … We accept that this pervasive misogyny and lack of accountability will inevitably be reflected in the culture and governance of the ITF.”

In response to the allegations, in a move they called “safeguarding measures,” senior management at the ITF sent an email to all staff, explaining that they could remove themselves from any meeting, travel arrangements or calls with Cotton if they didn’t feel comfortable around him and published his calendar for the next six months.

Forty-one former staff signed an open letter to the ITF leadership in support of the victims, calling for Cotton’s suspension and an independent investigation. Cotton is still in post, carrying out his normal duties and attending meetings around the world.

The campaign group have named themselves after ILO Convention 190, the first global treaty recognising the right to a world of work free from violence and harassment, an historic piece of international law that trade unions helped to shape.

More than 100 people signed the petition to support the demands of the campaign on its first day. You can sign and share it here: https://tinyurl.com/InvestigateITF.

You can follow campaign progress and get more information on Instagram and Facebook here: instagram.com/ITFWomenC190 and here: facebook.com/itfwomenc190 and you can contact the group by email here: ITFWomenC190@gmail.com.