‘Strike against war, for without you no battles can be fought! Strike against manufacturing shrapnel and gas bombs and all other tools of murder!

Strike against preparedness that means death and misery to millions of human beings! Be not dumb, obedient slaves in an army of destruction! Be heroes in an army of construction! Helen Keller.

Dockworkers and maritime workers in 22 countries coordinated one of the largest international anti-war labor actions in recent history.

More than 25 unions representing 113 ports across five continents participated under one very simple declaration: ‘Dockworkers do not work for war!’

Workers went on strike, stopped cargo operations, disrupted shipping, and organized demonstrations to protest the use of civilian ports to transport weapons and military equipment into war zones.

International Fightback

This happened in France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and even in the United States, where dockworkers in Oakland and San Francisco joined the movement.

In Greece alone, approximately 3,000 dockworkers and seafarers walked off the job at the Port of Piraeus, disrupting cargo operations and ferry service.

Solidarity

Some countries saw full-day strikes, while others held shorter work stoppages or demonstrations. Not every participating port shut down, but the coordination was remarkable.

Governments can make decisions about war. Politicians can authorize military spending. Corporations can manufacture weapons. But somewhere along the way, somebody has to physically move all that equipment.

No to NATO Wars

And the people who do that work have decided they want a say in what their labor is being used for.

This movement didn’t spring up overnight. Dockworkers organized a smaller international action in February, involving 20 ports in seven countries.

In May, unions gathered in Istanbul and agreed to expand their efforts. By Friday, that movement had grown to 113 ports in 22 countries.

People Don’t Want Capitalist Wars

They’re demanding an end to the use of civilian ports for military shipments, but they’re also calling attention to the commercial seafarers being killed and injured in conflict zones.

These are ordinary working people who are increasingly finding themselves in the middle of wars they had no part in starting.

There’s something historically significant about workers from so many different countries setting aside their national differences to act together.

WITNESS TO HISTORY. Mike Walsh. Major book publishers banned this illustrated book, yet it remains the most widely read true history of the Christian Reich and World War II. Profits from book sales fund our news platform to inform and inspire others. Click the picture to discover more.

Think about the organization required to coordinate unions across five continents, with different governments, labor laws, languages, and political systems.

Power of cooperation.

One day, workers around the world came together to make a point that their governments could not easily ignore. They might not have the power to declare a war over, but they do have the power to refuse to help supply it.

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