Congress in Facts and Figures

15 Things You Might not Know about Congress…

London, Stockholm and Vienna have hosted the ITF Congress on four occasions, more than any other cities.
The first official ITF Congress was held in London from 14–16 June 1898, under the ITF’s first President, Tom Mann, and International Secretary Tom Chambers.
The 1921 Congress in Geneva was the first to split into special conferences for transport’s different industrial sectors.
The 1924 Congress, in Hamburg, was the first to be attended by affiliated unions from outside Europe.
It was at the 1928 Congress in Stockholm that the ITF first passed a motion recognising the fullest co-operation of all transport workers “regardless of colour or race”.
The London Congress in 1930 saw the first representative from the Far East, S Mogi of the Japanese Seamen’s Union, elected to the ruling General Council of the ITF. “It has given the Eastern workers for the first time a voice in the international trade union movement,” he said.
The first ITF Congress held outside Europe was Miami in 1980.
On 17 July 1980, the official diary of US President Jimmy Carter reads: “5:28 – 5:45, the president attended the 33rd Congress of the International Transport Workers’ Federation”.
The first Women’s Conference was held in Geneva in 1994.
The first Congress to adopt a theme was Delhi 1998 – ‘Mobilising Solidarity’.
The 39th Congress in New Delhi was the first Congress held in the Asia/Pacific region.
1,194 people attended the 2006 Congress in Durban.
In total, approximately 200,000 words were translated into six languages at the Durban 2006 Congress – some overnight.
Approximately 1,200 delegates are coming to the 42nd ITF Congress from more than 100 countries.
Around 50 interpreters are employed during the Congress period, with up to 40 of them working at the same time.