Chinese workers climb 80m-power tower to protest delay in salary payment

Six workers from China who work as technicians for the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Central Sulawesi, climbed up the power plant's 80-meter tower on Wednesday and have stayed on the top of the tower since then to protest the delay in the payment of their salaries, Kompas reported on Saturday.

The workers Sheng Sian You (37 years old), Lie Heng Jie (30), Sui Juo (76), Zhang Daoli (34), Zhen Jianshi (35) and Wang Jiu Seng (39) said that they would continue to stay in the top of the tower until the developer of the power plant PT Pusaka Jaya Palu Power agreed to pay the remnants of their salaries worth about US$600 each.

Gusti Alam Saad, a manager of PT Pusaka Jaya Palu Power, said that the company did not pay their remaining salaries because according to the existing agreement, the salaries should be paid through Chinese company Shandong Machinery Corporation which assigned them to work at the Sulawesi power project.

He said that the working permit of the Chinese workers expired last week but their visas were still valid until April 28.

The construction of the new coal-fired 2x15 megawatt capacity Mpanau power plant will be completed and hopefully start operation in May 2006.

The plant located in Mpanau, north of Palu city in Central Sulawesi province. (*)