TotalFinaElf?s recruitment program draws criticism

French oil and gas giant TotalFinaElf has been criticized for recruiting people from outside East Kalimantan to become security guards, local daily Kaltim Post reported Saturday.

The paper quoted an un identified source as saying that people from Jakarta who had been recruited as security guards for the company had arrived in the oil town of Balikapapan ? the company?s home base in the province.

TotalFinaElf?s spokesman Nurul Fazrie admitted that the company was in the process of recruiting a total of 98 people to become security guards at its central processing unit in Anggana, Kutai Kertanegara regency.

He noted however that the company put emphasis on competence in the recruitment process and prioritizes local people over those from outside the province.

?If the selection process finds outsiders as competent as the locals, we shall recruit the locals,? he said.

He also said the company has thus far selected 26 people to become security guards and they were all East Kalimantan?s residents. (*)