The "Neptune Jade", owned by the giant Singapore shipping consortium Neptune Orient, returned to Oakland for another dose of Liverpool solidarity picketting on Tuesday afternoon. The ship had sailed at midnight without discharging any of the 160 containers due to be offloaded. 7 boxes had been put on board in Thamesport (South East England), where Mersey Docks is the Port Authority.
The employers, who failed to obtain a temporary restraining order on Sunday and Monday, had obtained an injunction to limit the number of pickets and the arbitrator then decided it was safe for workers to cross the line.
But in the event, Oakland police failed to limit the size of the picket line mounted at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and all longshoremen walked off the dock. The arbitrator then reversed his position and the longshoremen went home.
The Hapag Lloyd "California Pegasus" is due in Oakland today (Wednesday), a day late and without an available berth.
Messages of support for the longshore ILWU Locals 10 and 34, and for
the solidarity picket, will be forwarded by LabourNet.
