European dockworkers stage walkout over against arms shipments, as Italians hold nationwide strike

Dockworkers in Europe and beyond are staging strikes as part of an international campaign against arms shipments and to demand better working conditions, unions say.

Unions in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey and Morocco issue a joint call to demand an end to the wars in the Middle East, including in Gaza, where near-daily strikes have continued despite an October 2025 ceasefire, 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 says. “Dockworkers do not work for war!”

Organizers say more than 100 ports across multiple countries have 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 called for a strike at Piraeus, the country’s largest port, as part of the international day of action. In addition, ships remain docked at several ports, disrupting ferry services, because of a separate seafarers’ strike demanding better pay, working conditions and improved safety measures.

Italy’s Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) says port demonstrations are 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 remains unclear. Organizers say participation will range from full-day strikes to shorter walkouts and demonstrations.