October 12, 1997

Mr. Jimmy Nolan
Chairman
Merseyside Port Shop Stewards Committee

Dear Brother Nolan,

The "Neptune Jade" is scheduled to enter the Nippon Yusen Terminal at Daikoku Pier C4 of Yokohama Port in the afternoon of October 14. The stevedore companies are Mitsubishi Warehouse and Uniyex. The vessel will head for Kobe Port after leaving Yokohama.

The executive committee of the Zenkoku-Kowan (National Council of Dockworkers' Unions of Japan) met on October 8 to discuss what action should be taken regarding the "Neptune Jade", the work of which was refused by ILWU Longshore workers at Oakland and Vancouver ports. The Committee reached a decision to refuse the handling of containers loaded at Thamesport. At the same time they decided to refuse, for the time being, the work of any cargoes in Japan handled by Mersey Dock and Harbour Company, i.e. any cargoes from and to the ports of Liverpool, Thamesport and Sheerness.

On the same day, Zenkoku-Kowan (National Council of Dockworkers' Unions of Japan) informed their resolution to the Japan Harbour Transport Association, Japan Shipowners' Association, Association of Foreign Ships in Japan, Neptune Oriental Line, Hapag-Lloyd, Mitsubishi Warehouse and Uniex.

Although we have obtained some information from ILWU regarding the containers carried by the "Neptune Jade", please let us know if you have any further details. We also ask you to give us information on the vessels sailing from the ports of Liverpool, Thamesport and Sheerness to Japan (or vice versa).

Let us win a victory in the second phase of our International Action initiated in Oakland.

Akinobu Itoh
Assistant General Secretary
All Japan Dockworkers' Union