Workers hold protest, block road to PTFI mine

By Bambang Atmaja

Dozens of workers of PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) held a rally on Monday and blocked a road, the only access, to reach all mines of the firm in Papua, Juli Pararongan, spokesman of PTFI workers union said.

The spokesman said that the strike was not under the coordination of the union, but was an initiative of the protesters.

?The strike starts this morning in the form of road blockade at the mile 71. It disturbed all of the operation because it is the only access to go to underground mine area, open pit mine and others,? he told Petromindo.com by phone on Monday.

?We, the workers union, only call all the workers not to take part in the strike and not to be provoked and engage in unnecessary actions,? Juli added.

He said that the number of the protesters was about tens of people, but the union did not know who the coordinator was and what their demands are.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak