On Friday 30 October 2026, several trade unions will hold an international day of strikes and protests by port workers against the transit of weapons and military equipment, rearmament policies and the use of port infrastructure for military logistics. In Italy, the initiative is backed by Usb and Orsa Porti, while Usb has also called a general strike across all public and private sector occupations on the same day. The programme was agreed at an international meeting held on 3 October at the Port Authority Club in Genoa. So far, seven unions are known to have joined the mobilisation: alongside the two Italian organisations are France’s Cgt Ports et Docks, Greece’s Enedep, the Basque union Lab, Turkey’s Liman-İş and Morocco’s Odt. This will be the second day of strike action over these issues, following the mobilisation on 6 February 2026.
The demands go beyond blocking individual shipments. The unions are calling for action against the handling of weapons in ports, greater transparency over cargo passing through terminals and opposition to rearmament, with explicit references to Palestine and the policies of the United States, Israel and European countries. By extending the action to a general strike, Usb is also linking military spending to demands concerning wages, pensions, healthcare, education and public services. In Genoa, the mobilisation is also connected to calls for port work to be officially recognised as arduous employment and to proposed reforms of the sector. In Ravenna, meanwhile, Usb has linked the protest to its campaign for transparency over arms shipments, which has also led to legal proceedings. On 8 October, Italy’s Council of State heard an appeal lodged by the Customs Agency against a ruling by the Emilia-Romagna Regional Administrative Court (Tar), which had recognised journalist Linda Maggiori’s right to access information on military equipment shipped from or through the port in 2025. Usb has joined the proceedings in support of the journalist. The union will present further details of the planned initiatives at a press conference scheduled for 15 October. In France, the Fédération Nationale des Ports et Docks Cgt has announced a 24-hour strike for 30 October.
