By John Catalinotto
January 21, 2026

The grassroots union (Unione Sindacale di Base) of dockworkers located in Genoa, Italy, which has held antiwar general strikes in the summer and fall of 2025, is moving forward with an international general strike for Feb. 6, 2026. This Jan. 23 they are holding a national assembly in Genoa to mobilize for the international strike.

In a release calling for the assembly, the USB wrote: “Dockworkers call for action. We refuse to collaborate with rearmament policies. We do not want the docks to be privatized and become a tool of the military. We do not want to work for war.

“At a time when imperialism is unleashing a deadly aggression against the peoples of the Earth, definitively burying international law, promoting the plundering of natural resources on a global scale, putting armies at the service of the interests of large multinational corporations and supporting a gigantic rearmament campaign, workers can block the gears and stop the death machine.

“This war they [the bosses] want to unleash on the planet affects us all. But we can still stop it by joining forces, building international relations and strengthening solidarity among peoples,” the USB release continued.

To build mobilization in Italy for the international strike, they will assemble on Friday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m. in Genoa at the CAP (Circolo Autorità Portuale) in Via Albertazzi 3.

Political demands of strike

The political demands of the USB regarding these general strikes were made clear in a Sept. 26 declaration, “Dockworkers Don’t Work for War.” These include demands to “end the genocide of the Palestinian people by Israel, openly supported by its allies, the USA, NATO and the EU; to open stable humanitarian aid corridors; to reject the EU Re-Arm plan; and to claim European and Mediterranean ports as ports of peace.

“The genocide is still ongoing, as are many other wars, while it is now clear that the [European Union] re-armament plan is calling for the militarization of ports and strategic infrastructure necessary for war preparations.”

This call has been joined by: USB Ports from Italy, Enedep Greece, ODT — Organization Democratique du Travail Morocco — Liman-Is from Turkey and LAB from Euskadi [Basque Country].

The USB added: “Any other organisations from other ports willing to join the international day of action are requested to confirm their participation by contacting the organization.

“These rearmament plans are welcomed by shipowners and terminal operators, as they enable a strong push toward automation, a reduction in employment and an erosion of trade union freedoms.”

The statement noted that the war economy is cutting dockworkers’ wages, rights and health and safety protections, including reduced working hours.

Assuming their leadership of the workers’ struggles at the European level, due to their capacity to mobilize and, above all, their political ability to link the struggle against rearmament with the attacks on the working class and solidarity with the Palestinian Resistance, the port workers are in the best position to issue this call for a general strike at the European and Mediterranean level for Feb. 6.