E. Kalimantan villagers demand work at TotalFinaElf

A group of East Kalimantan villagers on Friday staged a protest rally at the office of oil and gas producer PT TotalFinaElf E&P Indonesie accusing the firm of breaking its promise to employ locals for its projects in the area, local daily Kaltim Post reported on Monday.

More than one hundred people from Kuala Samdoja villages in Tenggarong regency, East Kalimantan, complained that all laborers of TotalFinaElf?s contractors came from outside of their area, and that they actually could do the work of the contractors? workers.

The villagers said they had actually signed an agreement with the company management which entailed that it would employ people from villages around its operation sites.

In response to the villagers? action, TotalFinaElf?s executives met with representatives of the demonstrators on Friday. The executives said in the meeting that company was considering to recruit a half of workers from local villagers to work at the company?s projects.

TotalFinaElf E&P Indonesia is the Indonesian unit of French energy giant TotalFinaElf. Its major oil and gas operations are mainly located in East Kalimantan. (*)