Dockworkers stage strikes denouncing use of ports for arms shipments 

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - PARIS — Dockworkers in Europe and beyond were staging strikes on Friday as part of a global campaign against war and the use of ports for arms shipments, organizers said.

The large-scale, coordinated global action, staged under a banner opposing war-related cargo handling, marks a substantial expansion from a February mobilization that covered 20 ports in seven countries with more than 25 unions in 113 ports joining the protest.

Unions in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey and Morocco issued a joint call to demand an end to the wars in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza, and “an end to the militarization of ports.”

“Ports must not be used for the transport of weapons, ammunition, military equipment and troops,” the statement said. “Dockworkers do not work for war!”

Organizers say more than 100 ports across multiple countries joined the protest movement that could affect port operations in parts of Europe, the Mediterranean region and North America.

In Greece, the ENEDEP dockworkers’ union has called for a strike at Piraeus, the country's largest port, as part of the international day of action. In addition, ships remained docked at several ports, disrupting ferry services, because of a separate seafarers' strike demanding better pay, working conditions and improved safety measures.

In Istanbul, Turkey, protesters gathered outside Haydarpasa port beneath a banner reading: “No to war, no to armament!”

Italy’s Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) said port demonstrations were planned in key ports, including Genoa, Trieste and Gioia Tauro, coinciding with a nationwide general strike called by major unions to protest rising living costs, low wages and military spending.

France's CGT ports and docks federation has called a one-day strike in major ports including Le Havre, Marseille, Dunkirk and Rouen to reject “the militarization of port facilities” under European policies and denounce the French government’s budget proposals, which the union says threaten social protections.

The scale of the disruption remained unclear. Organizers say participation will range from full-day strikes to shorter walkouts and demonstrations.

Supply chain management company C.H. Robinson issued an advisory to its clients that “operational disruptions and shipment delays may occur at participating ports, with the duration and severity expected to vary by port, terminal, and level of local participation.”

Marcus Baker, global head of marine, cargo and logistics for insurance broker and risk adviser Marsh, said a 24-hour strike is unlikely to cause a material disruption to global trade flows, although it could affect perishable goods and time-sensitive shipments.

But it “adds another layer of complexity to supply chains already under pressure from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, climate-related events, including El Niño, restrictions affecting the Rhine and the Panama Canal, and shifting tariff regimes,” he said.

Judah Levine, head of research for online shipping marketplace Freightos, said at ports such as Genoa, where vessels are already waiting one to two days for a slot, the strike could exacerbate congestion.

Beyond Europe, the organizers said about a dozen ports in India could be disrupted, with the Water Transport Workers Federation of India (WTWFI) also supporting the action.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, a pro-Palestinian campaign group that ​repeatedly tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, said it would execute "coordinated, strategic actions on the water" to support ​the strike.

Organizers estimate that the participating unions represent workers who handle roughly 40% of Mediterranean container traffic, with as many as 40,000 containers potentially delayed.

Palestinians gathered at the fishermen’s port west of Gaza City on Thursday in solidarity with a planned global strike by port workers against the use of supply chains to support Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.

Participants in the Gaza rally carried messages of solidarity with port workers and seafarers in recognition of their actions against the use of civilian facilities to support Israeli military operations.

Zakaria Bakr, president of the General Union of Fishing and Marine Production Workers, said the gathering aimed to convey the message of Palestinian fishermen to port workers around the world and thank them for their solidarity.

The real extent of disruption is still unclear. Certain ports are staging demonstrations instead of halting cargo operations. The campaign chiefly targets military cargo shipments through civilian ports, and it also carries demands for better wages, improved working conditions and safeguards against automation.

Elsewhere, a possible November 1 strike involving 250 port watchmen poses a threat to operations at Los Angeles and Long Beach, although talks aimed at averting the stoppage are ongoing. Italy also faces another national general strike on November 20.

In May ⁠2026, dockworkers' unions from over 35 European countries published the so-called Istanbul Declaration demanding that port facilities not be used to transport weapons destined for war zones.

Italian harbors, with Genoa at the forefront, have ​played a leading role in protests against arms shipments, frequently blocking cargo shipments bound for Israel ​and for US ⁠military bases.

Over the 2021-2025 period, Europe became the world's biggest arms importer, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute showed earlier this year.

"From planes to tanks, guns to bullets, explosives to ammunition, uniforms to boots, our ports have become replenishing and forwarding bases for war and ⁠genocide," ​unions said at a press conference announcing the strike.