S

ept. 18, online

PT Freeport Indonesia’s CEO Armando Mahler said that the company had decided not to pay the salaries of workers who have been on strike since Sept. 15.

“We all know that the strike has been conducted since midnight Sept. 15, local time. The management has decided not to pay salaries during their strike. No work, no pay,” said Mahler on Saturday evening in Jayapura, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Mahler said that the company had paid the salaries of workers who had gone on strike in July because the payment was part of the requirements demanded by the workers’ union before returning to work.

“That [salary payment] is out of our generosity. In this second strike, we are strongly committed to not paying the salaries of those on strike,” he said.

He called on workers to resume their jobs because they themselves would bear the brunt of the strike’s consequences, citing that every worker participating in the strike loses at least Rp 577,000 per day (US$65.70).

Your comments:

I think the decision made by the management will trigger more strike action. I think PT Freeport’s management should have a conversation with the workers.

“No work, no pay” will make the situation worse; workers demand better treatment, not sanctions.

Agus P
Jakarta

It’s ironic that such a huge mining company is in foreign hands. In Australia, there are two large iron ore mining companies owned and operated by Australians, namely, BHP and Rio Tinto. No foreigners are allowed to own these strategic resources, no matter what. The profit of BHP this year alone is A$22 billion or $1,000 per Australian citizen (total population: 20 million people).

Indonesia should by now be more prosperous than any other Asian country if these gold and copper resources were properly managed for the benefit of Indonesians, or at least local Papuans.

Brian
Sydney

I agree with Brian. Force them to sell or dilute the shares owned by non-Indonesians, and impose a heavy carbon tax on them, to benefit the country and Papuans. I believe they wouldn’t be able to do the same thing in their country.  

Ann
Papua

The largest gold and copper mine in the world; it does not sound beneficial for the nation of Indonesia.

Freeport, it’s time for you to leave the country. You are well off now. Soeharto gave a 25-year concession to you in 1972. It expired in 1997. Without much fanfare, Soeharto extended the concession.

Freeport, get out of our mother land. Your presence in Indonesia is the result of an invalid agreement with Soeharto.

Surromenggala
Bandung, West Java

Time for a carbon tax.  Refuse to pay? Kick them out. Simple.

Ken
Bandung