TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Around 100 employees working in PT Freeport Indonesia staged a protest in front of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry office on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. The employees demanded the government to immediately resolve the dispute with Freeport Indonesia.
"We demanded the government to solve the dispute with Freeport Indonesia," said Nathalia Nauw, a member of the PT Freeport Indonesia Employees Solidarity group on Tuesday, March 7, 2017.
Nathalia argued that the government should immediately come to a conclusion on the conflict to allow the company to resume its business operations based on the agreement made between both parties, the government and Freeport Indonesia.
“Not one sided [agreement],” Nathalia said.
In addition, Nathalia argued that the dispute must be solved to prevent risks of having to stop mining operation of the most technically demanding underground mine. Nathalia explained that if mining activities were halted for too long, the mine's access tunnel will collapse.
Nathalia also added that the government must resolve the dispute to prevent the threat of a massive layoff. Nathalia argued that the massive layoff is not just an empty threat, but "a result of regulations issued by the government without giving much attention to the fate of 32,000 [Freeport] employees and Timika residents."
AMIRULLAH SYUHADA
