By Annachiara Canetta, World BEYOND War, February 5, 2026

Five trade unions representing port workers — Endep in Greece, LAB in the Basque Country, Liman-Is in Turkey, ODT in Morocco, and USB in Italy — confirmed the port workers’ day of action on February 6th, under the slogan ‘Port workers do not work for war‘.

The strikes will happen in 21 major European and Mediterranean ports, including Bilbao, Tangier, Piraeus, Mersin, Genoa, Livorno, Trieste, Ancona, and Civitavecchia.

The action has been called for the following reasons:

to ensure that European and Mediterranean ports are places of peace, free from any involvement in war;to oppose the effects of the war economy on our wages, pensions, rights, and health and safety conditions;to block all arms shipments from our ports to Palestine and any other war zone; to call for a trade embargo on Israel by local governments and institutions;to oppose the EU’s rearmament plan; to stop the EU and European governments’ imminent plan to militarise ports and strategic infrastructure;to reject rearmament as an excuse for further port privatisation and automation.

Representatives from USB’s Sea and Ports chapter emphasized that the ongoing mobilizations against genocide, militarization, and U.S. imperialism are inseparable from labor struggles at home. In this context, they spoke of an “internal war”, referring to increasingly repressive measures adopted by European governments against workers who participate in acts of international solidarity. In particular, they mentioned the case of Italian firefighters who faced reprisal by the government for participating in a demonstration against the genocide taking place in Palestine.

World BEYOND War stands in solidarity with the dock workers who are protesting. Their refusal to participate in the economy of war reflects a broader commitment to dismantling the systems that make war possible in the first place. We firmly support their statement: the current militarisation happening in Europe and beyond is an enormous threat to peace, social justice and security. These measures are directly impacting society at large and workers, affecting salaries and rights, and eroding public services. Every euro spent on war is a euro taken away from welfare.

As the European Union prepares for war through its €800 billion “ReArm Europe” campaign, we need to prepare for years of financial austerity and political repression. We know that rearmament does not bring more security, it creates a war economy that normalises violence. European civil society needs to stand united against these policies of war, and find ways of connecting across differences against this common threat. Coalitions opposing (re)armament like Stop ReArm Europe, of which World BEYOND War is part, are more important than ever.

World BEYOND War calls on its supporters and all people of conscience to support the day of action, join dock workers and port workers in their mobilisation, continue grassroots pressure on local governments to impose a comprehensive arms embargo to countries at war, and work collectively toward the abolition of war itself, replacing it with systems of peace, cooperation, and justice.

The post WBW Stands in Solidarity With “Dock Workers Don’t Work for War!” Action appeared first on World BEYOND War.

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