SBSI calls on govt to help settle problems at KPC

The central board of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) has called on the government to help settle conflicts between the management of coal miner PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) and its striking employees, and to prevent any armed measures to end the strike.

SBSI said in a press statement, signed by its communications officer Andy William Sinaga, that the problems in KPC emerged after the normative demand from KPC employees were not heard by the management and also by the manpower office in Sangatta, East Kalimantan.

Then, the employees took their case to the manpower office in Jakarta, but again, their demand were not heard, and the manpower office gave its approval to KPC to fire 66 of its workers who went on strike.

SBSI protested the decision, and this was followed by more strike and blockage by more KPC employees.

As the blockage paralyzed KPC's operation, KPC management was willing to talk with SBSI in Sangatta, and this was followed up by negotiations in Jakarta on July 19, mediated by Minister of Manpower Bomer Pasaribu and the chairman of the National Business Development Council, Sofyan Wanandi. But the negotiations ended with deadlock.

SBSI actually did not want a deadlock in the negotiations. But the position of KPC that did not want to withdraw its warning letters to the striking workers, on which there was a clause for dismissal, the negotiations ended in a deadlock.

Besides, there was an agreement between SBSI and the Communication Forum for the Brotherhood of Inter-East Kalimantan Societies to settle problems between SBSI and KPC and also PT Vico Indonesia. And the Forum would ask KPC to drop the warning letters. And on Wednesday, the Forum would facilitate a negotiation between SBSI and KPC management in Sangatta.

However, SBSI expressed its concerns over recent development in KPC, especially when the East Kalimantan Police Chief Brig. Gen. Bachrumsyah Kasaman visited on Tuesday its mining sites where the strike was still going on.

Bachrumsyah, accompanied by KPC general manager Irawan Poerwo, refused to shake hands with an SBSI executive, Sem Karta, saying he did not trust Sem anymore. Bachrumsyah even said that he would clean KPC's mining sites from the striking workers using rubber bullets on Friday, August 18.

When visiting the second striking site in a fuel station, Bachrumsyah, who used to serve as Aceh police chief, met with a striking worker, named Hadi Prabowo (a Javanese), and Bachrumsyah pointed his stick against Hadi's mouth and said: "You Javanese. Many Javanese were slaughtered in Aceh."

SBSI said it was concerned with the recent development and called on the President and the National Police chief to prevent bloodshed in KPC's mining site. (*)