This week, we witnessed an important international labor movement against war and warmongering. On Friday, October 30 , dockworkers and port employees in a coordinated international action went on strike at 113 ports in 22 countries around the world. Under the central slogan, “Port Workers Don’t Work for War,” they took a stand against war, warmongering, and austerity.
This action was organized as part of a call for a 48-hour protest mobilization, including strike action initiated by the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). More than 25 trade unions worldwide participated. However, the protests were not confined to that day. Further warning strikes subsequently took place in several other countries, including at the German ports of Hamburg, Bremen, and Bremerhaven; the Italian ports of Naples and Genoa; and the French ports of Le Havre, Marseille, and Dunkirk.
This protest represents a practical step by one of the key sectors of global transportation against war and warmongering. It is also part of a broader worldwide struggle against crisis-ridden capitalism and the imposition of austerity policies on people’s lives.
These protests are interconnected: one front is in France, while others extend across European countries and into Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a major driving force behind warmongering in the Middle East and insecurity around the world.
The demands set out in the international call by port workers included:
- An end to wars and violence against the people of Palestine, and recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
- Opposition to the use of ports to transport weapons, ammunition, and military equipment to war zones.
- Resistance to the militarization of port infrastructure and governments’ arms programs.
- Real increases in wages.
- Guarantees of secure and stable employment.
- Shorter working hours.
- Improved retirement and pension conditions.
- Opposition to the use of artificial intelligence and automation to eliminate jobs and undermine workers’ rights.
These demands constitute an explicit protest against the policies of governments involved in war and atrocities, including Islamist right-wing forces and Israeli fascism, as well as their relentless attacks on people’s livelihoods in different countries.
Workers and freedom-loving people are the real force capable of confronting war and warmongering. The innovative protest action initiated by port workers offers a model for all sectors of the working class. If this action continues and expands to other sectors of the workforce around the world, it can paralyze the machinery of war and warmongering and prevent governments and pro-war forces from continuing their crimes.
Free Them Now (FTN) supports this international protest action by port workers and calls on workers in Iran to stand in solidarity with it. Let us work together to make this voice heard around the world.
Port workers have declared: “We Don’t Work for War.”
Let us join our voices with theirs!
Free Them Now
07/11/2026