Above photo: Dockworkers in the rank-and-file unions have taken the lead in calling political general strikes against the war mobilization led by the European Union, the U.S. and Israel. Genoa, Italy, 2025.
Against a backdrop of growing militarization in the old continent, dockworkers and port workers’ unions in Europe and the Mediterranean have launched an international call for strike action and mobilization. This day of protest, scheduled for Feb. 6, 2026, seeks to reject any compliance with the transport of weapons and war material, while strongly opposing the devastating consequences of the “war economy” on labor rights and peace.
This initiative stems from the declaration signed by several unions on Sept. 26, 2025, in Genoa, entitled “Dockworkers and port workers do not work for war.” In this document, the signatories reaffirm their commitment to key demands, such as ending the genocide of the Palestinian people perpetrated by Israel — with the explicit support of the United States, NATO and the European Union (EU) — opening stable humanitarian corridors, rejecting the EU’s rearmament plan and claiming European and Mediterranean ports as spaces of peace.
According to the statement issued by the trade union organizations, the genocide in Palestine continues, as do numerous wars in other regions. It is now clear that rearmament plans require the militarization of ports and strategic infrastructure, which are essential for war preparations. These plans are welcomed by shipowners and terminal operators, as they promote automation, staff reductions and the erosion of rights for unions. In addition, the war economy is cutting wages, rights and health and safety protections for port workers, including a reduction in working hours.
According to unions, “Peace is over” is the phrase that resonates in the speeches of most European governments. Faced with this reality, dockers and port workers across Europe and the Mediterranean have committed to demonstrating and striking on Feb. 6, leaving open all possible forms of action.
Call for arms blockade
The organizers want to ensure that European and Mediterranean ports are places of peace, free from any involvement in armed conflicts. To this end, they are calling for a blockade of all arms shipments from these ports to war zones.
The unions oppose the EU’s militarization plan and consider it urgent to stop the upcoming projects of European governments to militarize ports and strategic infrastructure. Port workers denounce the rearmament plans as a gateway to further privatization and automation of ports and warn of the negative effects of the war economy on wages, labor rights and health and safety conditions.
The signatory organizations extend this call to all European, Mediterranean and international port unions that share these concerns, inviting them to join the day of protest. So far, the Unione Sindacale di Base (Italy), Enedep (Greece), the Democratic Labor Organization of Morocco, Liman-Is (Türkiye) and LAB (left, pro-independence union in the Basque Country) have joined this initiative.
This day of action represents a significant step in trade union resistance against militarization and the war economy, highlighting the crucial role of ports as strategic nodes in the global supply chain. The unions emphasize that workers will not take part in or facilitate conflicts that perpetuate violence and human suffering. They will instead give priority to promoting peace, justice and the defense of labor rights.
This article by Roberto Casanova was published in nuevarevolucion.es on Dec. 27, 2025. Translation: John Catalinotto.
