From the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, from Australia to the Americas, dockworkers and seafarers joined an unprecedented international day of coordinated industrial action on Friday, October 30, declaring that ports must serve the needs of the people rather than become logistical bases for imperialist wars.
According to trade unions involved in the mobilization, workers in 113 ports across 22 countries and five continents participated in strikes, work stoppages, demonstrations and solidarity actions under the common slogan: “We do not work for war!”
The international mobilization, supported by more than 25 trade unions, brought together workers from Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Germany, India and numerous other countries. Its central demands included an end to the transportation of weapons and military equipment through commercial ports, opposition to the militarization of port infrastructure, solidarity with the Palestinian people and the protection of workers’ lives, wages and working conditions.
The action also demonstrated the growing determination of organized dockworkers to challenge the transformation of commercial shipping into an essential component of the machinery of war.
The initiative followed months of international trade union coordination, including discussions among dockworkers’ organizations in Istanbul earlier this year. It also marked a significant expansion of previous mobilizations against arms shipments, particularly those destined for Israel.
Italy: Mass demonstrations and a nationwide strike
Italy witnessed some of the largest mobilizations of the day, as the grassroots trade union Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) called a 24-hour nationwide strike, linking opposition to war and military spending with demands for higher wages, stronger public services and relief from the rising cost of living.
Demonstrations took place in at least 60 Italian cities. According to USB estimates, approximately one million people participated nationwide, although this figure has not been independently verified.
In Genoa, dockworkers marched through the port before joining students and workers from other sectors in a massive demonstration. Protesters rejected the use of the city’s port as a military logistics hub, demanding that it remain a workplace serving the population rather than an operational base for imperialist interventions.
In Naples, thousands of demonstrators marched through the waterfront area, singing the anti-fascist song Bella Ciao. Attempts by police to restrict access to the port failed to prevent protesters from surrounding the facilities.
Large demonstrations were also reported in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Trieste, Bari, Padua and Reggio Calabria. Protesters repeatedly connected the enormous resources devoted to military expenditure with deteriorating public services, low wages and the difficulties facing working-class families.
The participation of students and young people was particularly significant. Their mobilizations highlighted the contradiction between increasing military budgets and the chronic underfunding of education, housing and healthcare.
France: Major ports brought to a standstill
In France, the ports and docks federation of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) organized a 24-hour strike that, according to union reports, achieved participation exceeding 90%.
Operations were severely disrupted at several major commercial ports, including Le Havre, Dunkirk, Rouen and Nantes–Saint-Nazaire.
At Le Havre, one of France’s principal maritime gateways, loading and unloading operations were halted. In Dunkirk, bulk cargo terminals were blocked, while at Nantes–Saint-Nazaire several vessels remained at their berths without being serviced.
Workers at Marseille-Fos and other French ports also participated in the international mobilization, opposing the transportation of military cargo and the broader militarization of European maritime infrastructure.
The French dockworkers linked their anti-war demands to the defense of wages, employment and social protections, rejecting government policies that prioritize military expenditure while imposing new burdens on working people.
Greece: Piraeus becomes a major center of international solidarity
In Greece, the country’s largest port, Piraeus, was brought to a standstill as dockworkers, seafarers, shipyard workers and employees from numerous other sectors participated in the strike.
From the early morning, workers maintained strike pickets at the COSCO container terminals, while maritime unions organized stoppages aboard passenger vessels. Work also ceased in shipbuilding and repair facilities, including the industrial areas of Perama and Skaramangas.
Approximately 3,000 dockworkers and seafarers participated in the walkout, according to Reuters, while thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Piraeus for a rally and march toward the port.
The mobilization extended beyond maritime workers, with participation from metalworkers, teachers, healthcare employees, students, pensioners and other sections of the working population.
During the rally, live connections with trade union representatives in Italy and France demonstrated the practical coordination taking place between workers in different countries.
The demonstration concluded at the port, where protesters unfurled a gigantic banner declaring “WORKERS DO NOT WORK FOR WAR,” accompanied by red smoke flares and messages of solidarity addressed to dockworkers across the world.
Strike actions also took place in Thessaloniki, where more than 200 containers and trucks were reportedly blocked during a three-hour stoppage, as well as in Patras and other Greek ports.
The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas, attended the Piraeus mobilization, expressing solidarity with the striking workers and emphasizing the international character of their struggle.
From Hamburg to Scandinavia: Solidarity against militarization
In Germany, young dockworkers and apprentices at the Port of Hamburg organized a gathering and demonstration in support of the international strike.
The action emphasized the importance of involving a new generation of workers in organized trade union activity and international solidarity. Support also came from healthcare workers and trade union organizations in other parts of Germany.
In Sweden, the dockworkers’ union denounced the militarization of European ports and warned against the use of security legislation to restrict trade union rights.
Danish trade unions likewise expressed solidarity, connecting rising military expenditure with cuts to social benefits, pressure on pensions, higher living costs and worsening economic conditions.
Across these countries, the mobilization reflected a common concern: workers are increasingly being asked to bear the economic and human consequences of military policies over which they exercise little democratic control.
Australia, India, Turkey and the Americas join the mobilization
The international day of action began in Australia, where dockworkers mobilized in Melbourne from the early morning. Their demands included opposition to the handling of military cargo and solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Workers at Port Botany, near Sydney, also expressed support for the international initiative, emphasizing that ports should serve the communities and workers who operate them.
In India, dockworkers and seafarers participated in actions at Chennai and Mumbai, demanding peaceful ports and dignified employment. Indian maritime workers also highlighted the dangers faced by crews operating in regions affected by military conflicts.
In Turkey, a 24-hour strike was called at ports including Haydarpaşa in Istanbul, where metalworkers joined dockworkers in demonstrations against military shipments.
Mobilizations and solidarity initiatives also extended to Morocco, including the strategically important port of Tangier, while workers in Brazil’s port of Itajaí expressed their opposition to war and support for international solidarity.
Trade union organizations in the United States and Mexico were also among those involved in the international coordination, with actions planned in the Americas as the mobilization moved across time zones.
Workers confront the machinery of war
The international strike took place amid escalating military conflicts and mounting dangers for maritime workers, particularly in the Middle East and the Black Sea.
Trade unions have reported numerous attacks on commercial vessels, with seafarers killed, wounded or stranded in dangerous waters. Alongside their opposition to military shipments, workers demanded improved safety measures, higher wages and adequate medical protection aboard vessels operating near conflict zones.
Campaign organizers estimated that the coordinated actions could affect approximately 52,000 containers and cargo worth $2.8 billion. Reuters noted that these figures could not be independently verified, while shipping analysts expected the overall disruption to international trade to remain limited because many stoppages lasted only one day.
Nevertheless, the political significance of October 30 extended beyond the immediate economic impact.
The coordinated action demonstrated the potential of international working-class organization across national borders, bringing together dockworkers, seafarers, industrial employees, students and other sections of the population around common demands.
At a time when governments and powerful economic interests are expanding military expenditure and integrating transport infrastructure into war preparations, the striking workers asserted a different priority: ports, ships and the wealth produced through their labor should serve human needs, not destruction.
From Piraeus to Genoa, from Marseille to Melbourne and from Hamburg to Gaza, the message of October 30 was unmistakable: the working class possesses both the collective strength and the international solidarity to challenge the machinery of war.
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