KPC workers continue blockade despite pact<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Striking workers at coal mining company PT
\nKaltim Prima Coal are continuing their blockade of the mine in
\nSanggata regency, East Kalimantan, despite an earlier agreement
\nto end the strike, a company executive said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
KPC representative for Jakarta Bambang Susanto said the
\nstriking workers had rejected the final settlement reached in
\nJakarta between representatives of the workers and the company.<\/p>\n
"The moment the workers heard about the results of our
\nnegotiations, they rejected them," Bambang told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The results of the negotiation called for the workers to end
\ntheir strike and lift the ban in order for discussions to resume.<\/p>\n
The workers demand, among other things, a salary increase of
\n15 percent and the reinstallment of daily allowances.<\/p>\n
However, Bambang said the negotiations were conducted with the
\nworkers' knowledge.<\/p>\n
"Before agreeing on the final outcome, the workers'
\nrepresentative contacted the striking workers at the site for
\ntheir approval," he said.<\/p>\n
He added that the workers apparently backed away from their
\ninitial accord and were now refusing two points of the
\nsettlement.<\/p>\n
"They (the striking workers) reject any disciplinary warning
\nletters from the company, and they reject being paid only 50
\npercent in salary during their strike," he said.<\/p>\n
KPC stopped operations on Tuesday for the second time in less
\nthan five weeks.<\/p>\n
Bambang said the company may declare a second force majeure to
\nits customers in two to three days when it runs out of its coal
\nstockpile.<\/p>\n
Besides KPC president Grant Thorne, senior officials from the
\nMinistry of Manpower, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and
\nIndustry (Kadin), the Ministry of Mines and Energy and Muchtar
\nPakpahan, the chairman of the Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union
\n(SBSI), which organized the strike, also joined the negotiations.<\/p>\n
He also said the issue had turned into an internal affair
\nbetween the central SBSI and its KPC branch.<\/p>\n
"It is not our problem that the local chapter of SBSI has
\nrejected the agreement, it's their superior's decision. We expect
\nSBSI to honor their deal with us," he said.<\/p>\n
SBSI is one of three labor unions at KPC, and its members
\nconsist of only 150 workers from about 2,600 working for the
\ncompany.<\/p>\n
He said in the latest development, workers had also begun to
\nblockade the access road to the company's office with large
\nvehicles.<\/p>\n
"We have some 50 workers occupying the mine. They are doing
\nrotating shifts with their friends," he added.<\/p>\n
Bambang said about 200 police officers were on standby at the
\nsite, but they did not disperse the striking workers.<\/p>\n
"The key word here is law enforcement," he said.<\/p>\n
Director General of General Mining Surna T. Djadjadiningrat
\nsaid the issue had become a test case for the local government to
\nhandle disputes involving foreign investors.<\/p>\n
"It's a local dispute, and the local government has shown that
\nit lacks capability in solving it," he said.<\/p>\n
Surna urged the local government to make efforts to facilitate
\na dialog between the company and the protesting workers.<\/p>\n
"I think its just a matter of how to better inform the workers
\non the outcome of the negotiations," he said.<\/p>\n
KPC is jointly owned by giant British-Australian mining
\ncompany Rio Tinto and the British-American-based oil and gas
\ncompany BP Amoco Plc. (bkm)<\/p>",
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