Caltex accused of abusing local "civilian defense units"

PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia (CPI) has been accused of abusing local civilian defense members known locally as Pam Swakarsa members to protect the company's assets from the attack of protesting residents, Riau Pos reported on Wednesday.

Hamka Riau, a community leader in Duri, said that the oil giant had recruited the members of the civilian defense units - security men appointed by residents to ensure security in their neighborhood --- when they faced difficulties in dealing with protesters. "But the Pam Swakarsa members were immediately dumped when the company felt they no longer needed their help," he said.

Caltex has recruited local residents as part of their security members without using a proper recruitment procedures. The recruited residents recently protested the company after being dumped from their jobs without sufficient compensation payment.

The local leaders including the head of the government's employment office, the police and the local councilors recently held a meeting with Caltex to settle the latter's problem with the so called civilian defense members.

But the meeting failed to produce any results. The head of the employment office said that it would be difficult to seek a fair solution on the matter because the recruitment of the civilian defense members by Caltex was not based on normal working contracts.

Danies S, a representative of the oil giant, however, said that although the recruitment of the civilian defense members or Pam Swakarsa members was not based on a normal working contract, the company's settlement was made in line with the business ethics. (*)