Dockworkers Stage Strikes and Protests at 113 Ports
Dockworkers at 113 ports in 22 countries held coordinated strikes and protests on Friday, disrupting cargo operations and ferry services. The action opposes arms shipments to Israel and the use of commercial ports for military logistics.
The 30 October action runs under the banner "Dockworkers Don't Work for War" and involves more than 25 unions on five continents. It includes 24-hour strikes, shorter work stoppages and demonstrations. Organisers call it the largest coordinated port action of its kind.
They estimate that about 52,000 containers carrying $2.8 billion of cargo could be delayed, and put the direct economic cost at $57 million. Those figures have not been independently verified.
Where it hit hardest
The biggest disruption is in France, Italy, Greece and Türkiye, where unions called 24-hour strikes. Italy is also holding a general strike. Stoppages and demonstrations are taking place in Morocco, Cyprus and other countries.
At Piraeus in Greece, around 3,000 workers joined a walkout, according to Reuters. Cargo operations and ferry services were disrupted. Apostolos Kypraios, head of the Greek union of merchant marine engineers, told Reuters at the demonstration: "We will not work for their wars, and we will not become food for their cannons."
Greek unions linked the action to casualties among merchant seafarers. They cited 28 attacks on vessels in the Gulf in the first 21 days of October and 570 confirmed attacks in the Black Sea this year, which they said have killed 40 seafarers. Indian union representatives said roughly 15 Indian seafarers have died during the Iran war and others remain stranded.
Actions are also under way in India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay and the United States. On the US West Coast, ILWU Local 10 is taking part in Oakland and San Francisco. Other participating unions include Germany's ver.di, Sweden's Svenska Hamnarbetarförbundet, Denmark's 3F and the Maritime Union of Australia. Organisers published a list of ports, including Valencia, Algeciras, Barcelona, Hamburg, Piraeus, Genoa and Tangier Med.
Participation varies. Some ports saw full-day strikes, others brief stoppages or solidarity demonstrations outside the gates. Not every participating port is seeing cargo disruption.
Backing and background
The International Transport Workers' Federation backs the campaign. General Secretary Stephen Cotton said: "Governments must stop the flow of arms used to violate international humanitarian law." ITF President Paddy Crumlin said governments find billions for weapons while telling working people to accept insecure jobs, squeezed wages and growing automation.
The campaign follows a day of action on 6 February at 20 ports in seven countries. In May 2026 the Istanbul Declaration, signed by unions representing more than 35 ports, committed them to oppose moving weapons, ammunition, military equipment and troops through civilian ports.
The activist research group No Harbour for Genocide supports the protests. It says it identified 315 shipments of components for Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems through 56 commercial ports in 29 countries between August 2025 and September 2026.
Organisers say the participating ports handle about 13.5% of global shipping activity and 63% of Mediterranean container activity. That reflects the ports' overall share of trade, not the cargo directly affected on Friday. They say more coordinated actions are planned.
Source: gCaptain