Port Workers Plan Strike in Over 100 Ports Across 17 Countries
Port worker unions are preparing for coordinated strikes and protests on October 30 in over 100 ports across at least 17 countries, according to a statement by the Italian union USB.
Port workers are preparing to organize coordinated strikes and protests in over 100 ports across at least 17 countries on October 30, raising the risk of cargo handling disruptions across four continents, according to a statement by the Italian union Unione Sindacale di Base (USB). The action includes the ports of Tangier, Marseille, Piraeus, Gioia Tauro, Genoa, and Mersin, in addition to ports in Northern Europe, India, Mexico, and the United States.
Participants include France's CGT Federation of Ports and Docks, Greece's ENEDEP union, the LAB union in the Basque Country, Turkey's Liman-İş union, Morocco's ODT union, Italy's USB and OR.S.A. Porti unions, ILWU Local 10 in San Francisco and Oakland, the dockworkers union in Veracruz, Mexico, the port section of Germany's ver.di union in Hamburg, and the European Dockworkers Council. The Italian Ministry of Transport lists a 24-hour national port workers strike on October 30, including Genoa, Livorno, Trieste, Civitavecchia, Ancona, Ravenna, and Gioia Tauro.
In Greece, the Piraeus Labor Center called for a 24-hour strike in the Piraeus region, while the PENEN sailors union announced a 24-hour strike covering Piraeus, Rafina, Elefsina, Patras, Lavrio, Rio-Antirrio, and Igoumenitsa. The exact form of action at each port has not been confirmed, meaning the scale of disruption may vary by location. The USB union estimates that unions participating in the early stages represent workers handling about 40% of Mediterranean container traffic, and that around 40,000 containers could be delayed by one day—estimates that have not been independently verified.
USB listed over 100 ports across 17 countries on October 21, while a Greek union notice issued the following day mentioned 18 countries, indicating that participation continues to expand. USB was founded in 2010 as an Italian union representing public and private sector workers, affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions. The action comes amid concerns that it could add disruptions to already troubled global supply chains.
What do these terms mean?
Cargo handling: Loading, unloading, and moving containers and goods within the port, upon which trade movement halts.
Containers: Standardized metal boxes in which goods are packed to facilitate transport between ships, trucks, and trains.
Labor union: An organization that represents workers in wage and working condition negotiations, and can call for a strike.
Weekly Newsletter
Read between the lines before everyone else. Decode the most important economic, tech, and decision-maker movements in the region.. in 5 minutes every Saturday.
