Freeport workers threaten to go on strike

Employees of copper and gold mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia threatened Thursday to stage a peaceful strike next Wednesday, urging company management to pay more attention to their welfare, especially with regard to wages and benefits, The Jakarta Post reported Friday.

Their demands include employee development for native Papuan employees and are the result of discussions with Tongoi Papua, an informal organization that facilitates communication between any company and native Papuan employees.

Tongoi Papua chairman Frans Pigome told reporters at the Mimika Police station he was coordinating the strike, with the help of local police.

He said Tongoi Papua representatives had met with PT Freeport management three times and that they had been left no other choice but to strike.

?We?ve met With PT Freeport?s association of Indonesian workers, which fully supports our plan to go on strike,? he said.

But PT Freeport spokesman Mindo Pangaribuan said Thursday Tongoi Papua submitted a report from the Tongoi Papua convention to PT Freeport management and that the company had delivered a response through the correct industrial relations channels.

This response was in line with PT Freeport?s industrial relations efforts and their commitment to all employees, Mindo said in a statement.

He said PT Freeport Indonesia was committed to continually advancing its native Papuan employees and ensuring numbers of native Papuan employees occupying senior positions within the organization grows. (*)