Seafarers, dockers, railway and warehouse workers benefit from ITF wellbeing sessions in India.
Mental health and wellbeing were top of the agenda for transport workers from across India’s maritime and land sectors this month, as the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and ITF-affiliated unions in India led a series of sessions to build workers’ and trainers’ awareness and skills.
Across the weekend around World Mental Health Day (10 October), the ITF joined affiliates including the National Union of Seafarers India (NUSI), the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR), the Madras Port Trust Employees Union (MPTEU), the Italian Transport Federation (FITCISL), the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union (NSU) and German trade union, Ver.di, in organising the sessions – with support also coming from the Indian Government’s Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping).
“For the ITF, improving the mental health and wellbeing of transport workers goes far beyond a celebratory day, as important as that is – it’s an ongoing process which we are constantly looking to strengthen so that we can reach, support and protect as many transport workers as we can,” said Dr Asif Altaf, the ITF’s Wellbeing Coordinator.
“Transport workers and their trainers must be more aware of wellbeing and any risks to it, and we must also continue to advocate with governments and international institutions so that they do much more to protect workers. Transport workers can’t flourish and transport won’t work without good mental health and wellbeing.”
A marker of how severe mental health challenges can be for seafarers – who are left isolated far from their friends and families while at sea – is that 2025 insurer research shows that deaths from suicide now outnumber those from accidents. Notably, at a joint event with the ITF in April this year, DG Shipping committed to the groundbreaking move of ensuring compensation for all seafarer suicides onboard Indian-flagged ships under both new and existing agreements.
Dr Altaf with NUSI members
In a session for more than 200 NUSI members in Mumbai, Dr Altaf led training for the seafarers, including on how to recognise the signs of poor wellbeing, what to do and what support services are available.
In a separate event, the ITF joined DG Shipping and the Port of Chennai to organise education sessions for seafarers, dockers and warehouse workers. This was accompanied by a stakeholder meeting to strengthen collaboration and plan activities to take place over the next year.
Stakeholder meeting on wellbeing at the Seafarers’ Club, Chennai
Joining with affiliate partners, the FIT-CISL, the NSU and Ver.di, the ITF then co-hosted an expansive four-day seminar for 45 Indian seafarers – all NUSI members – working on cruise ships.
The sessions covered collective bargaining agreements, seafarer protections under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 and awareness of harassment and bullying at work. A full day of interactive sessions was dedicated to seafarer mental health and wellbeing.
Interactive sessions for NUSI members working on cruise ships
In 2020 and 2022, ITF research undertaken with the NFIR and the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) showed that 60 percent of Indian railway workers experience stress at work, with 9 percent reporting physical harm due to stress and poor mental health, and 8 percent reporting suicidal thoughts – the surveys highlighted a clear demand from respondents that unions begin counselling services.
With that stark reality in mind, the ITF joined NFIR in hosting education sessions for railway workers and their families – with NFIR committing to join the Indian Government in starting 24/7 counselling services for workers and their families.
Wellbeing for the railway workers of the NFIR
The series of events build on two years of notable successes in the ITF’s rapidly expanding wellbeing programme, from signing landmark agreements with the governments of the Philippines and Indonesia – and beginning training alongside ITF affiliates in each country – through to training trainers from 10 maritime universities across seven Black Sea countries.
“The challenges of poor mental health are increasingly understood across societies right around the world – we have to take advantage of that and what it can mean for transport workers,” explained Dr Altaf.
“A big part of that is helping transport workers to have the skills to recognise when their wellbeing is at risk and to feel no shame in being able to share that – and that starts with ensuring that this is taught when workers receive their training, which is exactly why it’s imperative for the ITF that we expand our ‘training of the trainers’ on mental health and wellbeing.”