150 union activists protest Caltex Indonesia operations<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (Dow Jones): About 150 union activists protested
\nFriday at the Washington office of Texaco Inc. against alleged
\nlabor and human rights violations at an Indonesian oil facility
\nowned by Texaco and Chevron Corp., according to the International
\nFederation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions.<\/p>\n
The activists claimed that a contractor working for Texaco and
\nChevron has harassed striking oil workers at the Indonesia
\nfacility, and brought in security forces that have used violence
\nagainst them.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian government has the responsibility to ensure
\nthat the workers' rights are respected, and Chevron and Texaco
\nhave the obligation to ensure that subcontractors at their
\nfacilities abide by international labor standards,\" said John J.
\nSweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, which co-sponsored Friday's
\nprotest along with the ICEM.<\/p>\n
\"We call on Chevron and Texaco to use their considerable power
\nand influence to insist that these workers are treated fairly and
\njustly,\" said Robert Wages, executive vice president of the
\nPaper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers International
\nUnion, which represents workers employed at Chevron and Texaco
\nfacilities in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Paul Weeditz, a spokesman for Texaco, responded that \"we have
\nand will continue to abide by all Indonesian labor laws\" and the
\ncompany requires that its contractors do the same.<\/p>\n
Both Texaco and Chevron said the dispute is between one of
\ntheir subcontractors and its employees.<\/p>\n
The strike action is taking place at an oil facility owned by
\nCaltex Pacific Indonesia in Sumatra, Indonesia. The workers are
\nemployed by a Caltex subcontractor, PT Tripatra. The unions say
\nthe strikers number about 8,000, but the oil companies say they
\nnumber about 2,000.<\/p>\n
The workers claim Tripatra violated Indonesian labor law when
\nit refused to make some workers permanent employees and pay them
\naccordingly, according to the unions' press release.<\/p>\n
When the company refused to follow a May directive from the
\nIndonesian Ministry of Manpower, the workers went on strike on
\nJune 21, according to the release.<\/p>\n
PT Tripatra then fired the strikers on July 6 and has been
\nusing the Indonesian army and police to intimidate and harass the
\nstrikers, the unions said. They added that, on July 23, the
\nsecurity forces fired rubber bullets at the strikers, shooting
\none in the head, and assaulted several others.<\/p>\n
But Weeditz says the dispute revolves around severance pay and
\na contract that was renewed last October. He said no employees
\nhave been prevented from working and that 80 percent of Tripatra
\nemployees working for Caltex are on the job.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/150-union-activists-protest-caltex-indonesia-operations-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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