On October 30th, workers at ports in Europe and other countries went on strike, affecting some port shipping and ferry services. The strikers protested that the ports were being used to transport weapons, and expressed their dissatisfaction at the continuous loss of lives of sailors in the conflict zones between the Gulf region and the Black Sea.
According to Reuters, this strike involves 113 ports in 22 countries. The participants also demand higher wages, improved working conditions, and the provision of doctors for ships passing through military zones.
"We will not work for their war, and we will certainly not become cannon fodder for them." said Apostelloos Kiprajos, president of the Greek Merchant Ship Engineers' Union.
He added, “We understand this very well, and so do our families. They are constantly worried about whether our colleagues will return safely.”
Currently, more than 25 unions are supporting the strikes initiated by Italy, France, Greece, the Basque region of Spain, Turkey, and Morocco.
On the 30th, strikes affected major shipping hubs such as Valencia, Le Havre, Algeciras, and Genoa, as well as the Mediterranean port of Dakhla in Morocco and the port of Navsharawar in India.
According to a trade union, in the first 21 days of October alone, there were 28 attacks on ships in the Gulf region, which is the highest number since the beginning of the Iran War. So far this year, there have been 570 confirmed attacks in the Black Sea region, resulting in the death of 40 sailors and hundreds of injuries.
Indian WTWFI union representatives said that about 15 Indian sailors have died due to the war in Iran, and many others are trapped at sea because of the blockade of waterways.
A dockworker and activist group named "Not to Provide Ports for the Destruction of Races" is dedicated to preventing military cargo from reaching Israeli ports. The group said this protest will result in approximately 52,000 containers being grounded, involving a cargo value of $2.8 billion.
Dockworkers say they're still worried that continued conflict will drive up the cost of basic goods and energy. "We can barely afford to even fill our car with gas for a trip to the supermarket, let alone go anywhere else."
