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Batam pig farm workers reject termination
Around 350 workers of PT Indo Tirta Suaka, which operates a pig farm in Bulan Island, Batam, Riau Islands, have rejected their termination after Singapore stopped the import of live pigs from farm the in April last year following reports of African swine fever.
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Vendors prepare pork on Jan. 15, 2022, at a market in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat.
(AFP/Madaree Tohlala)
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round 350 workers of PT Indo Tirta Suaka (ITS), which operates a pig farm in Bulan Island, Batam, Riau Islands, have rejected their work termination after Singapore stopped the import of live pigs from the farm in April last year following reports of African swine fever (ASF).
Virgil Putu, a representative of the workers, said that since March 21, hundreds of workers have gone on strike following their sudden termination and temporary dismissal of workers.
“According to the management, the company will gradually lay off workers following the stoppage of exports to Singapore,” Virgil told The Jakarta Post on March 27.
Since the exports were stopped, workers have had their working hours reduced, but there was no sign of termination.
Virgil said the workers and the company had not reached an agreement about the amount of severance pay.
Separately, Batam Manpower Agency chief Rudy Syakyakirty said that the agency had held a meeting between the two parties for the first time on March 25.
“We’re going to have a second meeting, but there has not been a decision on it [yet],” Rudy said.
ITS was contacted for comment but has not replied.
Singapore stopped the import of live pigs from Bulan Island in April 2023 after it detected the virus in a batch of livestock from the island. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said the affected animals had been removed from the abattoir line.
The ITS farm occupies 1,500 hectares in Batam and manages some 240,000 pigs. The company typically sells pigs to Singapore at about US$1.5 per kilogram.
According to the SFA, live pigs from Bulan Island make up about 15 percent of Singapore’s total pork supply.
In May 2023, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), citing an Indonesian government report, said that there was an ASF outbreak on a pig farm in Bulan Island.
The outbreak killed 35,297 pigs in a herd of 285,034 on the farm and was detected on April 1 and confirmed on April 28, Reuters reported, citing the WOAH.
The source of the outbreak is unknown, but veterinarian authorities told the WOAH that humans, vehicles, feed, flies and wild boar may have played a role in the introduction of ASF to the farm.
The Agriculture Ministry has revoked the ASF-free certificate for ITS. (dre)
