Total?s employee to go on massive strike

Thousands of employees of France-based Total E&P Indonesie in East Kalimantan threatened to go on massive strike on September 12 as the company has yet to meet their demand to reinstate incentives, Kaltim Post reported Friday.

The employees through the company?s employee union (SPNTI) demand a 25 percent fixed allowance for working on the field.

The threat was the second after last month thousands of employees of Total E&P Indonesia threaten to hold general strike with same request.

?We sent a letter on our plan to go on strike to the management of Total E&P Indonesie and related agencies on August 29, 2006 and we have received the receipt letter. The strike will start on September 12, 2006. But there is still enough time for the company management to sit down together to find a concrete solution to this problem,? said Muhammad Hatta, chairman of Regional Working of the Central Processing Area.

According to Hatta who coordinated the planned strike, the strike would be the final alternative solution as both Total?s employee union and the company?s management did not reach an agreement in several meetings held previously.

Meanwhile, the management of Total E&P Indonesie has yet to give response to the strike threat.

Total operates Mahakam Block PSC, which is currently Indonesia?s top gas producer with output of 2.6 BCFD. Total is the main gas supplier to Bontang LNG plant in East Kalimantan. (*)