House asks SBSI respects agreement with KPC

Legislators have called on the All Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union's (SBSI) branch at PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) to respect an agreement it had reached with the company and the government to settle labor dispute in the company.

Therefore, the legislators called on SBSI's KPC branch not anymore to organize the blocking of access roads to the company's coal mining sites that could disrupt the company's production process.

Legislator Nur Hasan of the Nation Awakening Party, Ramson Siagian of the iNdonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and Priyo Budi Santoso of the Golkar Party all called on KPC employees to end their blockage because such an action could inflict losses not only for the company, but also to the state, employees and also local people.

Legislator Ramson Siagian said that although protests were recognized by law, but their implementation may not disrupt production process, moreover disturb other people to do their jobs.

KPC employees dissatisfied with the agreement made in Jakarta on July 18 have again blockaded the road access to the company's mining sites since last Wednesday. This action has been conducted several times by the employees since last June, forcing the company to several times halt its production activities.

KPC and SBSI reached an agreement in Jakarta on July 19, 2000. The agreement was then signed KPC executives Noke Kiroyan and C. Grant Thorne, SBSI chairman Muchtar Pakpahan and Director General of General Mining Surna Tjajadiningrat. Under the agreement, employees would not anymore go strike in any form since the agreement was signed.

The three legislators called on all parties to implement the agreement consequently, and called on the workers, grouped in the SBSI, to respect the agreement and therefore end their blockage of road access to KPC's mining sites. (*)