French ports call 24-hour stoppage to denounce the ‘militarisation of ports’

The French National Federation of Ports and Docks (FNPD CGT) is backing European protests against the EU’s military mobility programme, which aims to adapt civilian transport infrastructure for military use.

After a day of action in February under the slogan “Dockworkers don’t work for war”, unions are warning against the growing integration of ports into military logistics chains.

“French ports will be 95 percent shut down,” Tony Hautbois, general secretary of the CGT dockworkers’ union, told the AFP agency. The union claims to represent 95 percent of dockworkers involved in loading and unloading cargo and 87.5 percent of all port handling employees in France.

The European Dockworkers Council (EDC) launched the call for action against what unions describe as the ‘militarisation of port facilities’, with several trade unions subsequently extending the mobilisation internationally. The action was agreed last May at a meeting in Istanbul attended by union representatives from 35 European ports, who voiced concerns about the growing role of ports in armed conflicts.

This story was originally published by Project Cargo Journal. Read the full story at Project Cargo Journal →