PRESS RELEASE: Tripatra employees continue their strike
Tuesday, September 17 2002 - 09:40 AM WIB
Pekanbaru, 17 September 2002 --- Tripatra employees are continuing their strike by blocking CPI main offices in Duri and Rumbai as meeting to resolve their demand is underway. Workers? representatives are meeting with Tripatra Management to find an agreement to end the strike which enters the second day. Meanwhile, the situation in Duri and Rumbai is reaching new heights as more demonstrators are joining from other areas such as Petapahan and Libo.
CPI?s Management expresses their disappointment as demonstrating Tripatra employees are showing acts of intimidations. They blocked entrances to both main offices and do not allow CPI and other business partner employees to enter their offices and other shop locations. In Duri, the demonstrators even took hostage of some field trucks and drove them to camp areas to block other offices as well.
CPI employees working in both main offices have been unable to perform their daily duties and the surrounding communities are also affected as many make their living by working in CPI camps.
As reported yesterday, in the implementation of rationalization of Tripatra employees (through Voluntary Resignation Program or VRP/PPDS), Tripatra has given compensation more than the amount required by law and regulation, that is 11,5 months of salary in line with Kepmen 150/2000 plus 15 months salary as incentive. Around 1200 Tripatra employees choose to take the program, out of 3700 targeted. For the other employees who do not choose this program, Tripatra must do involuntary rationalization, based on the prevailing law and regulations through bipartite process, and tripartite process and, through P4P (Centre of Labour Disagreement Solution Committee) if necessary.
Caltex respects international labor standards and national labor laws including the right to associate. Labor disputes should be peacefully resolved through dialogue and the appropriate legal process, rather than through disruptive strikes or demonstrations witnessed today at Caltex operations. We respect Tripatra, our business partner, for taking both the moral and legal responsibility to address labor related issues with their own employees, who are not CPI workers. We have been advised that the actions taken thus far by Tripatra are in accordance with the appropriate laws and regulations, are fair and proper and are actually in excess of the legal requirements for severance related programs. (*)