Dockworkers in more than 100 ports in Europe and beyond staged strikes and protests on Friday, October 30, 2026, in an international campaign against arms shipments through civilian ports and for better pay and working conditions, according to unions and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
Unions say between 110 and 113 ports in 17 to 22 countries are taking part, depending on the count.
The “International Day of Action of Dockworkers and Port Workers” is under the slogan “Dockworkers do not work for war”, with workers calling for an end to the wars in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza, and an end to the militarisation of ports. The ITF also highlighted demands for better wages and conditions and opposition to rising automation.
Action varies by port, from 24-hour strikes to shorter stoppages of up to two hours and demonstrations. France’s CGT ports and docks federation called a one-day strike at Le Havre, Marseille, Dunkirk and Rouen.
Its general secretary, Tony Hautbois, said French ports would be 95 percent shut down. HAROPA Port said industrial action would disrupt container terminal operations at Le Havre from 6am on October 30 to 6am on October 31.
In Italy, the union USB planned demonstrations at Genoa, Trieste and Gioia Tauro, coinciding with a nationwide general strike over living costs, low wages and military spending. In Greece, the dockworkers’ union ENEDEP called a strike at Piraeus, while a separate 24-hour seafarers’ strike over pay and safety left ferries docked. Protesters also gathered outside Haydarpasa port in Istanbul, and strikes were planned in Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Cyprus and India.
The campaign follows an earlier day of action in February, when workers struck at about 20 Mediterranean ports.
Organisers say a campaign group that tracks arms shipments identified 315 shipments of components for Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems passing through 56 commercial ports in 29 countries between August 2025 and September 2026, and expects more than $2 billion worth of cargo to sit idle during the strike.
The scale of disruption is still unclear. Judah Levine, head of research at online shipping marketplace Freightos, said the action could worsen congestion at ports such as Genoa, where ships already wait one to two days for a slot. Ed Anderson, a supply chain professor at the University of Texas, said the movement was not expected to cause outright shortages.
