Tripatra agrees to meet workers' demand after massive protests
Saturday, March 11 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
The management of PT Triputra, a contractor of PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia, agreed on Friday to negotiate the workers' demand after a massive protest hit almost all of the company's offices in Riau province.
Frans M. Bombing, a representative of PT Triputra, which employed thousands of workers in the province, agreed to reemploy Kosasih and his friends, who were fired recently for allegedly stealing the company's mining equipment.
The agreement was made in a tough negotiation, which was also attended by several local government officials, and police but the company refused to pay the workers' demand to pay their frozen salaries for December.
The workers were not happy with the decision and vowed to continue the protests until the management paid their delayed salaries.
The workers' demonstrations, which started since Monday, reached its peak on Friday when about 5,000 workers staged their protests at Tripatra's main office in Duri, Similar protests also hit the company's main operation in Minas where about 1,500 workers made a similar demand.
The workers' protests started after the management ignored the decision of the local police and the local legislative council to rehire Kosasih and his friends, who had been fired for allegedly stealing the company's equipment.
The police could not prove the criminal charge but the company refused to rehabilitate their names. Their protests received a wide support from the public including the local legislative council. (*)