Arutmin protested for not hiring local residents

Tens of villagers at Sarang Tiung and Sigam villages in the North Pulau Laut district in Kotabaru, South Kalimantan staged a demonstration against PT Arutmin Indonesia on Monday, accusing the coal mining company of breaking its promise to hire local residents, Banjarmasin Pos reported on Tuesday.

Representatives of the villagers said that they were forced to make street protests because the company broke its own promise to employ local residents. ?The company has hired the people from outside the village instead of the locals,? he said.

According to the villagers, the company promised to employ local people during a recent meeting with village leaders. But when there were new job openings, the jobs were given to outsiders, they said.

The acknowledged that some of the local villagers had been hired as temporary workers for up to 20 days. But this opportunities were very rare and those who had completed the contract would have to wait for up to five months to get a new contract.

Arutmin Indonesia, a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, is one of the country?s major coal mining companies. (*)