On May 18–19, the 3rd International Meeting of Dockworkers’ Unions will take place in Istanbul.

The new international meeting follows on from the 1st meeting in Athens and the previous one held last September in Genoa, where dockworkers took an important step in coordinating their struggle against wars, the arms race, monopolies, their governments, and the European Union. This step was reflected in the signing of a relevant declaration in October and in the International Day of Action under the slogan “Dockworkers don’t work for war!”, which unfolded in 7 countries and at least 20 ports.

Building on this legacy, the 3rd International Meeting is set to take place with even greater participation from dockworkers’ unions from the Mediterranean and Europe. Its aim is to mark new steps in coordinating the struggle to prevent ports and key infrastructure from being used for the transport of military equipment and troops to war zones, to raise a shield of protection against the exploitation of workers, and to ensure that they themselves are not turned into cogs in the war machines serving the profits of the bosses.