Caltex workers continue protests for higher pay<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): About 3,000 workers of contractors that support
\nthe oil operations of PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia in Riau
\ncontinued protests on Wednesday to pressure the company to meet
\ntheir demands for higher pay.<\/p>\n
\"Some 3,000 of the total 24,000 workers of Caltex's
\ncontractors continued protests today despite the call by the
\nmanpower office to return to work,\" Caltex's spokesman Renville
\nAlmatsier told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Renville said the protesters worked for French company
\nSchlumberger and local company PT Tripatra among others.<\/p>\n
The workers went on strike on Tuesday morning in Pokok
\nJengkol, Duri, putting an end to negotiations with Caltex over
\ntheir demands for higher pay and benefits.<\/p>\n
Caltex, which is equally owned by American firm Chevron and
\nTexaco, said that it had called on the workers to discontinue the
\nstrike and send their representatives to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n
The company promised to care about the welfare of the workers
\nand respect their rights to \"raise the compensation issue\", but
\nthe workers should raise the issue through fair and transparent
\nnegotiations.<\/p>\n
The company threatened to stay away from future negotiations
\nwith the workers and withhold their pay if they continued to
\nstrike.<\/p>\n
\"Caltex is extremely disappointed by the workers' decision to
\nleave productive discussions and strike.<\/p>\n
\"In the last month, we have worked in good faith with the Riau
\ngovernment and manpower office to resolve these compensation
\nissues,\" said Caltex's managing director J. Gary Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n
According to Fitzgerald, the protesting workers are demanding
\na 360 percent increase in pay and other benefits, which is too
\nmuch for Caltex.<\/p>\n
\"This is unfair, unreasonable and not realistic in today's
\nfragile economy.<\/p>\n
\"Any business attempting to absorb such significant cost
\nincreases will be injured competitively and be forced to lower
\nother operating costs in order to survive,\" Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n
Fitzgerald warned that Caltex and its business partners would
\nbe forced to lay off many workers to cut operating costs if they
\nhad to meet the protesting workers' demands.<\/p>\n
The strike disrupted Caltex's oil production and would cut the
\ngovernment's oil revenue at the time the government very much
\nneeded all revenue to re-build the country's economy, Fitzgerald
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He did not specify the impact of the strike on Caltex's oil
\noutput.<\/p>\n
Caltex can produce up to 750,000 barrels per day but the
\ncompany recently said in a meeting with the House of
\nRepresentatives that its output had dropped by 30,000 due to
\ncivil unrest and security problems. (jsk)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/caltex-workers-continue-protests-for-higher-pay-1447893297",
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