West Papua: Victory for mineworkers
Workers employed by the mining multinational Freeport McMoran in West Papua struck from 18-21 April and gained a 100 percent wage increase. Freeport’s mine at Grasberg is the worlds second biggest copper mine and the worlds biggest goldmine. Freeport worked closely with the Suharto dictatorship in the 1970s and the 1980s and became Indonesia’s biggest taxpayer.
By Per Johansson, CWI
Benny Wemba from the Free West Papua Movement explains: “Just in one year, 2006, Freeport paid 1.6 billion US dollars in taxes to the government. How do you think Indonesia can afford to have the biggest military in SE Asia?â€
While about 6000 mine workers struck at Grasberg, Tongoi Papua also organised protest in the regional capital Timika. Hundreds gathered to coincide with the wage negotiations. They were met by dozens of armed vehicles and 200 armed soldiers.
Penima Karma, secretary of Tongoi Papua told the Reuters: “This is a surprise to us. It is just like a war.†Despite the military presence the workers elected to strike.
No violence was reported against those taking part, but an internal Freeport memorandum leaked to Reuters in which the company said that workers who participate in the strike “could be subjected to disciplinary measures.â€
The settlement after the strike resulted in an increase of the wages for the lowest paid workers from 1, 5 million rupiah to 3, 1 million rupiah. After the settlement Frans Pigome from Tongoi Papua told the Times: “we are satisfied… This is the most spectacular increase. They could have increased it years ago, but they think only how to profit themselves.â€
The strike at Grasberg is one in a wave of actions at mines around the world. In March Zambian workers struck and gained a 20 percent wage increase. The world’s biggest copper mine at Escondida in Chile was shut down for nearly a month last year, in Canada Inco workers shut down a nickel mine in March.
