Protesters finally agree to accept loan offer from Bukit Asam

As many as 396 workers of PT Adiputera Dewasajaya have finally agreed to receive loan from state owned coal-mining company PT Bukit Asam after their demand to get compensation payment failed, Sumatera Express reported on Friday.

The workers, who have not received their salaries for at least three months, finally agreed to receive Rp 1 million each as loan from the coal mining company.

"We have no much choice but to receive the loan because we don't have more money to buy rice and other basic needs," one the worker said.

The workers had demanded PT Bukit Asam to pay its debts worth Rp 5.7 billion to their company. But the demand was turned down because according to the coal mining company, a Jakarta court had frozen the debt and ordered the company to transfer the money to Bank Universal as part of the payment of Adiputera's debts to the bank.

Previously the workers refused the loan because they said that they were still tied with an earlier agreement.

The Bukit Asam management promised the workers recently that it would ask the permission from the court, Bank Universal and Adiputra to invite the later's president Edi Hartono to come to Muara Enim to directly settle the problem with the workers. According to the agreement, Bukit Asam would pay the claim as the compensation for the workers if Hartono failed to appear within 10 days.

However, Bukit Asam later revised the agreement and erased a statement related to the 10-day limit. (*)