KPC regrets police inaction to seize its equipment from striking workers
Friday, March 30 2001 - 04:00 AM WIB
Coal mining company PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) in East Kalimantan regretted on Friday the alleged inaction of police to stop striking workers which it said had illegally seized its equipment, causing troubles to the company's operation.
"Why do the police still make no action (against the striking workers), while the workers have been conducted actions, which are undeniably illegal," company spokesman Bambang Susanto told Petromindo.
He said the police had sent its Brimob elite force to handle the strike but they had thus far been only "standing guard" and done nothing to regain the equipment held by the striking workers as requested by KPC.
The striking workers are employed by KPC's sub-contractor called PT Liber.
They have been striking from mid-February to push their demand for better pay.
The workers seized the company's shovels, forcing it to cut its output by 50 percent.
The company earlier warned that it could declare force majeure on its coal supplies to foreign buyers if the workers continued their strikes and keep holding their equipment hostage. (Godang)