East Kalimantan councilors promise to help former Vico workers

Members of East Kalimantan?s legislative council have promised to help former workers of oil and gas producer PT Vico in their efforts to get higher separation pay from the company, Kaltim Post reported on Saturday.

The councilors? commitment was made during a meeting with Vico?s former workers in Samarinda on Wednesday. In the meeting, the councilors also denied the accusation of the oil and gas company?s former workers that they, instead of helping the workers, had taken sides with the company.

"I have never received even single cent from Vico," the council?s vice chairman Kasyful Anwar Sa?ad said during the meeting.

Vico has laid off about 400 workers since 2000. However, 90 of the workers demanded higher severance pay from the company arguing that the compensation money they received was below the amount stipulated in the existing labor regulation.

Vico had encouraged, last year, the former workers to settle the problem at the local office of the labor dispute settlement body, but the workers, instead, sought help from the local councilors.

The councilors agreed to help the workers and then met Vico management to settle the problem. However, the former workers accused the councilors of receiving money from Vico during the meeting to help block the workers? demand. (*)