MARSEILLE – At a time when the world is grappling with the most severe food security crisis in a generation, one would expect a sense of shared sacrifice and national duty to prevail. Instead, in the port of Marseille, we are witnessing a display of narrow self-interest that borders on the criminal. The decision by dockworkers to walk off the job this morning is not merely a labour dispute; it is an act of economic sabotage that threatens the stability of the entire Mediterranean region.
The strike, organised by the increasingly radical CGT union, comes in direct response to the French government’s sensible "Priority Grain Handling" (PGH) protocols. These protocols were implemented for a clear and urgent reason: to ensure that the dwindling supplies of wheat reaching our shores are processed and distributed with the maximum possible speed. In a period of national emergency, the expectation of longer shifts and increased discipline is not an "affront to dignity"—it is the basic requirement of the hour.
The unions, however, seem to have lost any sense of the broader reality. Cloaking their demands in the language of "burnout" and "human-centricity," they have chosen to hold the food supply of millions hostage. Every hour that those cranes remain idle in Marseille is an hour that bread prices rise in Paris, Rome, and Tunis. This is not activism; it is the wilful obstruction of essential supplies.
The failure of union discipline is particularly galling given the support the maritime sector has received over the years. Billions of Euros have been poured into the modernisation of French ports, much of it aimed at preserving the very jobs these workers are now abandoning. Instead of showing gratitude or a sense of professional pride, the dockworkers have chosen the path of least resistance, egged on by agitators who care more about ideological points than the empty stomachs of their fellow citizens.
“The government’s demands are impossible,” claims a union spokesman. One wonders if they find the prospect of widespread famine more "possible" to manage. The reality is that the PGH mandates are no more demanding than the requirements placed upon our medical professionals or our security forces during times of crisis. Why should the dockworkers be exempt from the call to duty?
This strike highlights a deeper rot in our contemporary social contract. We have created a culture that prizes "individual rights" and "work-life balance" even when the very foundations of our civilization are under threat. If we cannot rely on our primary logistical hubs to function during a grain shortage, then our national sovereignty is a hollow boast. A nation that cannot feed itself because its dockworkers are "tired" is a nation in terminal decline.
The French government must act with the utmost firmness. Requisitioning orders should be issued immediately, and those who refuse to return to their posts should face the full weight of the law. We cannot allow the caprice of a few thousand union members to dictate the survival of millions. Discipline, order, and a return to the values of service are the only way through this crisis. The cranes in Marseille must move, or the state must move them.
As I stand on the docks, looking at the thousands of tons of grain sitting in the hulls of waiting ships, I am reminded of a simpler time when a man’s word and his work were his bond. That era feels increasingly distant. Today, we are at the mercy of the mob. It is time for the authorities to reclaim the port and restore the rule of law.
