Dockworkers’ unions across Europe and the Mediterranean are preparing to strike on 30 October, calling on workers to block arms shipments and oppose the use of ports to support wars, with solidarity for Palestine at the centre of the mobilisation.
The coordinated action is expected to involve 57 ports, with unions from France, Greece, the Basque Country, Turkey, Morocco and Italy among those participating. The initiative follows a meeting of European and Mediterranean dockworkers’ unions in Istanbul in May, where unions agreed to coordinate action against the arms trade and the militarisation of port infrastructure.
The unions are calling on workers to refuse to load and unload weapons, ammunition and military equipment destined for conflict zones. The initiative has received backing from the Palestinian labour movement, which has called on port and transport workers worldwide to join the action, as well as the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Italy is expected to be a major centre of mobilisation. The Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) has called a general strike across public and private sectors, extending the action beyond ports to increase pressure on the government and companies involved in the war economy. Genoa, in particular, has previously been a focal point for protests against arms shipments destined for Israel.
By coordinating across borders, unions aim to prevent companies from simply rerouting military shipments through other ports to bypass individual strikes.
Under the slogan “Ports for Peace, Decent Jobs,” organisers are seeking to turn solidarity with Palestine into direct workplace action, targeting the logistics networks that sustain military operations. The 30 October strike builds on an earlier international day of action held on 6 February 2026, as unions seek to establish lasting coordination across European and Mediterranean ports.
