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On David Cockroft’s final day as ITF general secretary, 31 May, he sent a personal message to the organisation’s affiliates in which he formally handed over the reins to his successor, Stephen Cotton.
Cotton was elected acting general secretary by the ITF executive board in October 2012 and has been gradually taking over many of the day-to-day general secretary responsibilities.
Cockroft said: “From 1 June, Stephen will assume all the powers, duties and responsibilities of the post. I am not saying that from then on he is on his own, I will continue to provide any advice which he asks for and I will participate in all the forthcoming regional conferences, but the decisions and the management of the ITF secretariat will be his.
“I will continue to carry some global union responsibilities for some time, and I will attend the series of regional conferences which are planned for the remainder of this year and the ITF women’s conference, which will be held in New Delhi next year. I will also continue to serve as a director of Seafarers' Rights International, which although totally independent of the ITF, is still based at ITF House.
“However, from 1 June, whenever people need a decision from the ITF general secretary, they must direct themselves to Stephen, not to me.”
Cockroft added: “I wish Stephen the very best in the period between now and the Sofia Congress in August 2014. I hope that he will gather support from every part of the ITF family so that Congress will decide unanimously to elect him as general secretary for the following four years.”
He concluded: “The ITF is a great organisation and I have every confidence that it will continue to grow in strength and importance under Stephen's leadership."
David Cockroft was appointed general secretary in 1993. He announced in October 2012 that he would retire at the end of May 2013, shortly after he achieved the age of 60.