30th October International day of action: ‘Dockworkers don’t work for war’

On October 30th, dockworkers in 113 ports spread across 22 countries will unite in a massive coordinated strike aimed at opposing war. Over 25 unions on five continents will refuse to transport weapons to Israel, staging 24-hour strikes and other actions. This action will halt 52,000 containers and $2.8 billion worth of cargo, causing $57 million in revenue loss.

France, Italy, Greece, Türkiye, Morocco, Cyprus, and other countries, along with a general strike in Italy, will see stoppages. Additional rallies will occur outside port gates in dozens of cities. This international day of action is five times larger than the first one held on February 6th of this year, covering ports in India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, and the US West Coast for the first time.

Organized by dockworkers' unions, the strike has been years in the making, with meetings in Athens, Genoa, and Istanbul since February 2025 to create an international dockworkers' movement. The ceasefire in place has not stopped the killing of Palestinians, with at least 1,400 confirmed deaths in Gaza since its inception. Despite international embargoes, up to 95% of Israel's imports and exports continue to travel by sea, with commercial ports supplying the Israeli military every month.

The day was called by the 'Dockworkers Don’t Work for War' coalition of unions, with a clear understanding that cargo refused in one port will simply move to the next. Embargoes on paper have proven ineffective in stopping the flow of cargo, with ports serving as military bases that harm communities in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen.