French and European ports faced significant disruptions on Friday, October 30, 2026, following a strike called by dockworkers. Tony Hautbois, general secretary of the CGT-Ports and docks union, stated to the Agence France-Presse that French ports would be at a 95% standstill. The union's directive explicitly prohibits any loading or unloading operations. The CGT represents nearly 90% of sector employees, with a representativeness rate of 95% among dockers and 87.5% among all port handling staff.
The impact varied by location. In Le Havre, the AFP observed no trucks at the port's two entry gates on Friday morning. François Brisot, general secretary of the CGT for port workers in Le Havre, confirmed that no loading or unloading was taking place. However, Haropa Port, the public entity managing Le Havre and Rouen, claimed the impact on activity was limited, citing one cancelled cruise ship call and eight delayed calls at Le Havre, France's leading container port. In Dunkerque, the container terminal remained unaffected, but terminals handling bulk goods, liquids, fuels, and other non-containerized cargo were described as "totally blocked" by Ludovic Dewynter of the local CGT.
At the Nantes-Saint-Nazaire port, authorities noted that nine ships at the quay could not be processed. Officials highlighted that the strike had been announced well in advance, allowing maritime traffic to organize accordingly. Approximately 14,000 port workers, including 7,500 dockers, participated in the strike across numerous locations including Dunkerque, Calais, Le Havre, Rouen, Paris, Marseille, and La Réunion.
The union disputes measures in the French government's budget project, arguing they destroy their solidarity systems. In a Wednesday statement, the union announced its alignment with a national strike call for November 5 by major private and public sector unions. Their demands include raising the minimum wage (SMIC), increasing salaries rather than offering untaxed bonuses, and defending youth, public education, social security, hospitals, and retirees.
The action originated from an initial European call by the European Dockworkers Council and international federations in countries like Turkey and India to oppose war and the militarization of ports. European unions are resisting a proposed EU regulation intended to facilitate military mobility by using civilian transport infrastructure for defense material transit. On May 19, union representatives from 35 European ports signed a joint declaration in Istanbul refusing to become links in the "chain of wars," asserting that ports and logistics chains are increasingly being transformed into war infrastructure. In 2025, French ports handled 330 million tonnes of goods, representing 7% to 8% of the total European volume.
Sources: Le Monde Économie.