Selected excerpts from a LabourNet Germany dossier. Read the full dossier

The strike by the port workers of Genoa against arms deliveries to the murderous Saudi band and their war on Yemen was a kind of signal that something must finally happen. The action of the Italian dockers stands in a long tradition of such actions, with which arms deliveries to Vietnam were already prevented, and arms deliveries to the Pinochet dictatorship were also prevented in Genoa. This tradition continues under today's difficult conditions, according to Giacomo Marchetti, one of the organizers of the action, in an interview with David Broder "We Won't Load Your Ships of Death – Italian dockers against Saudi war machine" originally on May 25, 2019 in Jacobin Mag, now documented on Europe Solidaire.

Port workers’ resistance to arms shipments continues. The following selection presents examples of actions and related reports.

October 30, 2026: Unions of port workers in more than 40 ports announce an international day of strikes and protests against war and genocide

"Unions representing workers in 40 ports in Europe and the Mediterranean are calling for an international action day on October 30. Port worker unions in France, Greece, the Basque Country, Turkey, Morocco, and Italy are calling for an international action day against war and militarization on "October 30". They demand an end to the "genocide of the Palestinian people" and the "US-Israeli wars of aggression in the Middle East and against Iran."

"Each union will decide on the most suitable form of mobilization according to the respective national circumstances, starting from strike measures and joint commitment to prevent death and destruction," it says in a joint statement of the unions, which was sent to Workday Magazine and In These Times on July 31.

Together, the unions represent workers in 40 ports in Europe and the Mediterranean according to the statement. Their call for escalation came from a meeting of port worker unions that took place in Istanbul in May. The statement also expresses "full solidarity with the peoples of Cuba, Venezuela, and Sudan" and states that "ports must not be used for the transport of weapons, ammunition, military equipment, or troops intended for war zones."

"No to the war economy, to the rearmament plans of governments, and to the EU's plan to militarize ports and strategic infrastructure," the unions reaffirm in their statement. "Public funds must be used to cover people's social needs, not to finance wars." Among the signatories are the CGT FNPD in France, ENEDEP in Greece, LAB in the Basque Country, LIMAN-IS in Turkey, ODT in Morocco, as well as ORSA Porti and USB in Italy. (…)

The statement follows two general strikes in Italy in the autumn of 2025 in solidarity with the Palestinians. Ten months ago, about 60 port workers gathered in front of the building of the port authority in Civitavecchia, a small Italian coastal town northwest of Rome. It was September 22, 2025, and they had laid down their work earlier in the day and paralyzed the port – as part of a general strike with which they protested against the fact that the Italian government is Israel's third-largest arms supplier. At the place where they stood, they were surrounded by about 600 people who cheered them on – students, teachers, railway workers, public sector employees – a considerable crowd for a tiny town

…" English Article by Sarah Lazare from July 31, 2026 in In These Times  ("Dockworkers Unions in Six Countries Announce Day of Strikes and Protests Against War and Genocide", machine translated), see union calls:

21 Ports, six countries: European-wide port workers' day of action with strikes and protests as well as blockades against warships, for workplace safety

"Down with weapons, up with wages!": Action day on February 6th against militarization and war in more than 20 ports in the Mediterranean – and in Hamburg

Call for the international day of joint action of ports against war, arms deliveries and privatization on February 6, 2026

"On this day, port workers from about 21 of the most important European and Mediterranean ports, from Tangier to Bilbao and Mersin, from most Italian ports to Piraeus and Elefsina, will demonstrate and strike together, a concrete form of protest that has not been observed for months and was called for for the following reasons:

– to ensure that European and Mediterranean ports remain places of peace and free from any involvement in war;

– to defend ourselves against the effects of the war economy on our wages, pensions, rights and health and safety conditions

– to stop all arms deliveries from our ports towards the genocide in Palestine and other war zones and to call for a trade embargo against Israel by governments and local institutions;

– to defend ourselves against the EU's rearmament plan and to stop the upcoming plan of the EU and European governments to militarize ports and strategic infrastructures;

– to reject rearmament as a pretext for further privatizations and automation of ports…" ital. Call from December 24, 2025 at USB (machine translated) – already committed are the unions Enedep from Greece, Lab from the Basque Country, Liman-Is from Turkey, ODT from Morocco and USB from Italy