Protest at Vico main road continues

The protesting employees of the sub contractors of oil and gas firm Vico have continued their demonstration blockading the main gate of the company's operation in the Muara Badak area in East Kalimantan, the local Kaltim Post daily reported on Tuesday.

The paper said that despite the recent agreement to end the strike, the protesting employees continued to hold the demonstration at Vico main gate forcing the company's own employees to take another route to do their work.

The paper, however, said that the demonstration was now relatively peaceful compared to last week in which the demonstrators with sharp weapons in their hands had been engaged in a clash with the security officers wounding three protesters and one policeman.

The employees are grouped in the SBSI labor union. The Union's East Kalimantan office reached agreement at the weekend to end their demonstration and to resort to a negotiation process. The agreement was made following a meeting between SBSI and several community groupings, the East Kalimantan Police Chief and regional Military Commander.

The protesting employees are the workers of Vico's sub contractors. The paper said that they come from 35 sub contractors. The employees had demanded among other things a raise in salary. But instead of directly protesting their employer, the employees made the protest at Vico's compound and demanded the company to help in seeking a resolution. The protest has started in Since early this month. (*)