ExxonMobil, ex-workers to discuss compensation payment

The management of ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia and the company?s 226 ex-workers have agreed to negotiate the compensation payment demanded by the dismissed workers, Serambi Indonesia reported on Tuesday.

Hariyanto, the acting spokesman for Pertamina?s Production Sharing Management, said on Monday that the state oil and gas company would act as the mediator of the negotiations. ?The results of the negotiations will be further discussed with the local legislative council (DPRD),? he added.

The result of the talks with DPRD would be then discussed with Pertamina, which acted as the mediator,? he said. Hariyanto said that if the dispute over the compensation payment could not be settled through negotiations, the case would be taken to court.

However, former workers said that they doubted if the dialogues could produce any fruitful results. ?Why should they arrange a dialogue, if the court has clearly said what ExxonMobil should do with the compensation demand.

The Central Jakarta Court recently issued a verdict in favor of the former ExxonMobil workers in the their demand to get a fair compensation payment from the company. The court ordered the company to pay compensation worth Rp 26 billion to the sacked workers. ExxonMobil refused to carry out the court?s order.(*)