Italian port workers hold 24 hour national strike
Italian port workers hold 24 hour national strike. The disruption ran from 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026) to 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026), 1 days, affecting Genova, Livorno, Gioia Tauro, Trieste, Civitavecchia. No measured effect is published for this event; the effect section explains why.
Key facts
- Started
- 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026)
- Ended
- 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026)
- Status
- ended
- Type
- Labour action
- Severity
- 1 Minor
- Scope
- regional
- Chokepoints
- None
- Ports
- Genova, Livorno, Gioia Tauro, Trieste, Civitavecchia
- Lanes
- None
- Countries
- Italy
- Confidence
- medium: Date, scope and union demands are consistent across a trade report that cites the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport strike register and an Italian shipping outlet, but no official page was retrieved, and the participation and terminal stoppage figures are the union's own claims. Terminal-side confirmation of actual operational impact was not found.
- First reported
- 2026-09-24 (24 September 2026)
- Severity basis: A single 24 hour stoppage with partial participation; the PSA Pra' terminal at Genoa was reported fully stopped for the day, a single terminal affected for under 72 hours.
What happened
Port workers across Italy stopped work for 24 hours on 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026) in a national strike called by the USB Mare e Porti union, with the Orsa ports union joining at Gioia Tauro. The union asked the government to recognise port work as arduous for pension purposes and opposed the wider use of temporary agency labour. Terminals at Genoa, Livorno, Gioia Tauro and Civitavecchia warned customers of possible delays to vessels, gates and cargo handling. The union said the PSA Pra' terminal at Genoa stood completely still and that participation exceeded 50 percent at several other ports. Those figures come from the union and were not independently confirmed. La Spezia was not on strike, and the union said it would continue its national mobilisation.
Measured effect
No measured effect is published for this event. The public data for the event window has not been published yet.
Our port call series end on 2026-09-25, before the strike, and a single day stoppage with partial participation is unlikely to stand out in daily port calls at these ports.
Timeline
- USB Mare e Porti announces a national port strike for 28 September and a demonstration outside the Genoa prefecture over the recognition of port work as arduous. [s3]
- The 24 hour strike runs from 00:01 to midnight. Terminals including PSA SECH, PSA Genova Pra' and Terminal Darsena Toscana warn that normal operations cannot be guaranteed, and demonstrations are held at Genoa, Gioia Tauro and Civitavecchia. [s1]
- The union reports the PSA Pra' terminal fully stopped, over 70 percent participation at other Genoa terminals and at Gioia Tauro, and over 60 percent at the Livorno container terminals, and says it will continue its mobilisation. [s2]
Cause
The union called the strike to demand recognition of port work as arduous for pension purposes, a government committee it says was promised in May and not convened, and to oppose amendments widening temporary agency labour in ports. Attributed by: USB Mare e Porti and Or.S.A. Mari e Porti, as reported. [s1] [s2]
Resolution
2026-09-28 (28 September 2026): The stoppage ended at midnight as scheduled. The union said it would continue and strengthen its national mobilisation, and no agreement with the government was reported. [s2]
Corrections
No corrections to this record as of 2026-10-02 (2 October 2026).
Sources
- [s1] WorldCargo News, Italian port workers begin 24-hour national strike, published 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026), accessed 2026-10-02. Archived copy. (press)
- [s2] Shipping Italy, Usb soddisfatta dello sciopero per la tutela del lavoro portuale, published 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026), accessed 2026-10-02. Archived copy. (press)
- [s3] Genova Quotidiana, Porto di Genova, Usb proclama lo sciopero: il lavoro portuale e usurante, basta rinvii, published 2026-09-24 (24 September 2026), accessed 2026-10-02. Archived copy. (press)
Cite this record
The address of this record is permanent and a correction is always logged on this page, so a citation names the version you read. Add the date you accessed it.
Plain text
World Freight Monitor. "Italian port workers hold 24 hour national strike." Last updated 2026-10-02 (2 October 2026). https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2026/port-workers-national-strike-italy-2026/
APA
World Freight Monitor. (2026). Italian port workers hold 24 hour national strike. World Freight Monitor. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2026/port-workers-national-strike-italy-2026/
BibTeX
@misc{wfm_port_workers_national_strike_italy_2026,
author = {{World Freight Monitor}},
title = {Italian port workers hold 24 hour national strike},
year = {2026},
note = {Last updated 2026-10-02},
url = {https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2026/port-workers-national-strike-italy-2026/}
}