On February 6, dockworkers across more than 20 ports in the Mediterranean carried out a coordinated international strike against war, militarization, and the privatization of port infrastructure, marking one of the most significant cross-border labor mobilizations in Europe and Africa in recent years.
From Southern Europe to North Africa, workers halted operations and staged protests, linking their demands for dignified working conditions with a broader stand against imperialist war and military logistics supporting Israel’s assault on Palestine.
The action was the result of months of organizing by trade unions and dockworker collectives, rooted in both workplace struggles and growing international solidarity with Palestine.
Disrupting war logistics before the strike
Even before the strike formally began, its impact was already being felt. Reports indicated that vessels known to transport military cargo to Israel altered or disrupted their routes in anticipation of port actions.
For organizers, this demonstrated the strategic power of dockworkers in global supply chains, particularly in blocking the flow of war materiel.
“Ports are places of sweat, not blood”
Mass demonstrations began early in key ports including Piraeus and Elefsina in Greece, Mersin in Türkiye, and Bilbao and Pasaia in the Basque Country.
In Türkiye, the union Liman-İş Sendikası mobilized hundreds of dockworkers, while in the Basque Country, activists from LAB echoed calls for solidarity with Palestine.
In Greece, members of ENEDEP denounced the contradiction between rising European military spending and austerity measures imposed on workers.
“Development should mean going home alive. Ports are places of work, not war. They are places of sweat, not blood,” said Damianos Voudigaris, a union representative.
Italy emerges as a major center of mobilization
Some of the largest actions took place across Italy, with strikes reported in cities including Genoa, Livorno, Trieste, Palermo, and Ravenna.
The union Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) reported widespread participation, with workers, students, and community members joining demonstrations. Palestinian and Cuban flags were prominently displayed, reflecting the strike’s internationalist character.
Unionists linked the mobilizations to a broader wave of labor unrest in Italy, including multiple general strikes for Palestine over the past year.
They also denounced the policies of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, accusing her government of advancing militarization while repressing labor activism.
Local struggles meet international demands
While unified in opposing war and militarization, dockworkers also raised local concerns. In Trieste, workers warned against privatization of port infrastructure, while in cities like Bari and Ravenna, activists pointed to the covert use of ports to transport military and dual-use goods to Israel.
In Genoa, the dockworkers’ collective CALP led one of the largest demonstrations of the day. The group had previously pledged to block shipments linked to Israeli military operations.
“We promised to block everything—and we blocked everything,” members said. “We promised an international strike—and here we are.”
Expanding struggle across sectors
Actions were also reported in Fos-sur-Mer near Marseille, as well as in the German port cities of Bremen and Hamburg, and on the island of Corsica.
Dockworkers affiliated with Morocco’s Democratic Labor Organization (ODT), who had helped organize the strike, were forced to postpone their participation due to extreme weather conditions that shut down ports.
Despite this, organizers emphasized that February 6 was only the beginning.
“Today it’s the ports, tomorrow it will be the entire logistics sector—and then it will be all workers,” striking dockworkers in Ravenna declared.
The February 6 strike underscored the increasing coordination among workers across borders, linking labor struggles with anti-war demands and opposition to privatization.
