Italy's ports ground through a 24-hour nationwide stoppage on Monday, September 28, after the USB Mare e Porti union called out dock workers at terminals from Genoa to Gioia Tauro, with carriers and cargo handlers facing delays to vessel, gate and cargo-handling operations.

The strike runs from 00:01 to midnight and covers companies operating under Articles 16, 17 and 18 of Italy's Port Law 84/94, port system authorities and companies applying the national ports collective agreement, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport's official strike register.

Terminal operators moved quickly to warn customers. At Livorno, Terminal Darsena Toscana (TDT) told customers in an advisory it could not guarantee normal operations during the strike period. In Genoa, PSA SECH and PSA Genova Pra' both flagged expected disruption from the stoppage.

One gateway reports no impact. "No strike is planned at La Spezia, so no specific operational disruption is expected at LSCT, the terminal gateway of Contship Group," a Contship spokesperson told WorldCargo News.

Widespread action confirmed

Local reports on Monday confirmed the strike was under way at Genoa, Livorno, Gioia Tauro and Civitavecchia, with workers staging demonstrations and terminals warning of disruptions. A Contship spokesperson said actions were reported at several ports "including Genoa, Civitavecchia and Gioia Tauro."

"The strike may affect port operations and related services where there is participation, potentially causing delays to vessel, gate and cargo-handling activities," the spokesperson said.

The walkout carries a visible street presence. In Genoa, USB Mare e Porti organised a demonstration outside the prefecture. At Gioia Tauro, USB Calabria and Or.S.A. Mari e Porti called workers to a 9:30 a.m. demonstration at the port's customs entrance. Civitavecchia workers joined the national action with a protest planned outside the Port Authority, according to local media.

Pensions at the centre of the dispute

The immediate trigger is the unions' demand that port work be recognised as arduous work for pension purposes, opening early retirement provisions to dock workers. USB and Or.S.A. say the government committed in May to convene a technical committee to examine the issue — but the promised talks never took place. The unions now want that committee convened and a path towards formal recognition of the arduous nature of port work.

The union laid out the physical case bluntly. Dockworkers continue to work in ship holds reaching 50°C, on scorching quays and in 24-hour shifts around heavy machinery and suspended loads, where a moment of fatigue could be fatal, it said. More than half of operational port workers are over 50, according to the union, which argues that those who have spent decades in such conditions should be able to retire earlier.

Labour reform amendment under fire

A second front has opened over proposed legislation. The unions oppose an amendment to Italy's port reform that would allow terminal operators to hire temporary workers directly through employment agencies, bypassing the Article 17 system that channels work to specialised, experienced dockers familiar with the specific risks and operations of the docks.

The unions argue such changes could erode the pool of experienced port workers and increase safety risks, potentially leading to more accidents. For terminal operators, the amendment promises more flexible, cheaper access to labour — a commercial trade-off now colliding with workforce resistance on the quayside.

Commercial consequences

For shippers and forwarders routing cargo through the western Mediterranean, the stoppage adds friction at four of Italy's key gateways, with vessel arrivals, gate moves and cargo handling all exposed where participation is high. Genoa and Gioia Tauro in particular sit on core Asia–Europe and transshipment flows, and a full 24-hour loss of productivity at either hub can ripple into berthing windows and inland connections for days after gates reopen. La Spezia's exemption gives carriers and BCOs one Genoese-range alternative with uninterrupted operations.

For carriers, the strike tightens an already congested picture in the Tyrrhenian ports; for terminal operators, it raises the stakes in the broader fight over who controls docker labour supply.

With the government having failed to convene the promised technical committee since May, and a contested labour-reform amendment still in play, further industrial action remains a live risk unless Rome moves on pension recognition for port workers.