Berau?s workers demand pay rise

Piece workers of East Kalimantan-based coal miner PT Berau Coal on Thursday failed to reach an agreement with the company management on their demand for a rise in their pay, local daily Kaltim Post reported.

The workers, who carried out Berau?s loading and unloading activities at the Bureau port, complained that they had received only Rp303 (US$=Rp8,712) for each metric tons of goods. They complained it was far below the Rp1,113-Rp1,523 received by workers in Tarakan and Samarinda, also in East Kalimantan.

Over 100 workers met with Berau?s executives at the Bureau legislative council on Thursday in the presence of council members, local port officials and representatives of the regency manpower office. They had also met on Wednesday.

In Thursday?s meeting, Berau?s executives insisted that the company could not fulfill the workers? demand, arguing that the Rp303 paid to the workers was in line with existing government regulations. They said some of the workers had been able to receive up to Rp757,000 each time they carried out loading and unloading activities for Berau.

Berau Coal operates coalmines in Berau regency, East Kalimantan, producing some 7 million tons of subituminous coal annually.

Publicly listed heavy equipment maker PT. United Tractors is the majority owner of Berau Coal. Other shareholders are Armadian Tri Tunggal and Japan trading house Nissho Iwai. (*)