Labor strike causes Thiess to halt operation
Friday, November 10 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
Coal mining company PT Thiess has temporarily shut down its operation in Sangatta, East Kalimantan, for the past two days following a labor strike organized by the SBSI labor union, the local Kaltim Post daily reported.
"The labor strike has caused the company to suffer Rp 1 billion in daily losses," Thiess deputy manager HM Gossal was quoted as saying by the paper.
Gossal said that the protesters demanded among other things a raise in salary.
He said that initially there only dozens of employees held the strike, but latter the number grew to around 500.
He said that the company was planning to meet the protesting employees today to negotiate after earlier negotiation on Tuesday was fruitless.
Thiess is the second company in East Kalimantan which have to temporarily shut down its operation due to the labor strike held by SBSI.
Separately, the provincial office of the Indonesian Moslem Clerics Association or popularly called MUI called on Thursday the labors grouped in the SBSI union not to conduct anarchy.
The organization also said that all parties must try to create peace. (*)