Badak NGL says no reason for workers to go on strike

East Kalimantan-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer PT Badak NGL said there was no reason for its workers to go on strike because the firm management was seriously making preparations for the two sides to outline their new Joint Labor Agreement (PKB) before October 30, 2003, local daily Kaltim Post reported Tuesday.

Badak NGL?s spokesman Hudi Darminto said the current PKB would expire only on October 30, 2003, and not June 16 as claimed by its workers. The joint labor agreement became effective on November 1, 2001, he argued.

Hudi said that bilateral talks to renew the labor agreement would be held no later than three months before October 30 in accordance with existing government regulations. ?The company has no plan to delay the meeting,? Hudi said.

He said that company officials were ready to meet with Badak NGL?s trade union officials on June 16 to discuss technical matters of the PKB meeting.

Badak NGL?s trade union officials said recently more than 1,000 workers of the company would go on strike if the meeting to formulate the new PKB was held after June 16. They questioned why the company management had not held a meeting with them to make preparations for their talks, saying that Badak NGL?s leaders might be considering to put it off.

Hudi said that a team of 24 company officials had left for Jakarta last month to hold talks with central government officials about the PKB meeting.

He hoped that Badak NGL?s workers would hold talks with them to resolve their differences concerning the schedule of the meeting.

More than 1,000 workers of Badak NGL from Bontang, Balikpapan and Samarinda met in Bontang on June 4-5, and called on the company to hold PKB meeting no later than June 16. They threatened to go on strike if their demand was not met. (*)