Govt says Newmont production will remain normal despite strike
Alfian, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 08/04/2010 1:36 PM
Batu Hijau mine: JP/R. Berto Wedhatama
The government says that production at the Batu Hijau mine will not be disturbed despite a recent worker strike.
"I think the production will not be affected as they have stock piles," said Bambang Gatot Aryono, director of mining and coal production at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry told reporters Wednesday.
The Batu Hijau mine is located on Sumbawa island, West Nusa Tenggara. It is operated by PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT), a subsidiary of US mining giant Newmont Mining Corporation.
Workers at the mine have been holding the strike since Monday demanding overtime fee payment. NNT said that there were between 300 and 400 workers took part in the strike, but the union claimed the participants were about 3,000.
NNT has said that it had referred the dispute to Manpower Office and Industrial Relations Court.
