In These Times
04-04-2012, 11:29 PM
Buried in Indonesia’s rich soil is a minefield of brutality, literally. Last year, the Grasberg mine of the Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold, one of the largest such operations in the world, shut down after thousands of workers launched a strike to demand higher wages. Work recently resumed, but the suffering continues while officials and multinationals maneuver to manage Southeast Asia’s resource curse.
In the midst of the massive strike (http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/18/freeport-halts-work-amid-sabotage-separatist-pleas.html), the company cited “sabotage and security concerns” and the blockade of a critical pipeline, and there were reports (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/91ced962-f8a6-11e0-ad8f-00144feab49a.html) of internal conflicts among employees. But the worst impact of the chaos fell on the workers who were mysteriously gunned down. The exact source of the attacks is unclear, but they could be tied into a long-running struggle for control over local mineral assets between the police and military.
Mine workers weren’t the only ones being targeted. While strikers and police clashed in October, leading to the deaths of two unionists (http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4725-Indonesian-Freeport-McMoRan-Mine-Strike-Continues-Two-Unionists-Shot-Dead), indigenous activists in Jayapura, West Papua, were reportedly struck with batons and bullets (http://www.etan.org/news/2011/10congress.htm) at a pro-independence rally.
The unrest surrounding Grasberg exposed both the vulnerability of organized labor and the brute power of the industry. From its Phoenix headquarters, Freeport's global empire (http://www.fcx.com/operations/overview.htm) stretches across various political hotspots: Indonesia, Peru, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
More... (http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/12986/unrest_in_indonesias_mines_local_chaos_and_global_injustice/)
In the midst of the massive strike (http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/18/freeport-halts-work-amid-sabotage-separatist-pleas.html), the company cited “sabotage and security concerns” and the blockade of a critical pipeline, and there were reports (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/91ced962-f8a6-11e0-ad8f-00144feab49a.html) of internal conflicts among employees. But the worst impact of the chaos fell on the workers who were mysteriously gunned down. The exact source of the attacks is unclear, but they could be tied into a long-running struggle for control over local mineral assets between the police and military.
Mine workers weren’t the only ones being targeted. While strikers and police clashed in October, leading to the deaths of two unionists (http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4725-Indonesian-Freeport-McMoRan-Mine-Strike-Continues-Two-Unionists-Shot-Dead), indigenous activists in Jayapura, West Papua, were reportedly struck with batons and bullets (http://www.etan.org/news/2011/10congress.htm) at a pro-independence rally.
The unrest surrounding Grasberg exposed both the vulnerability of organized labor and the brute power of the industry. From its Phoenix headquarters, Freeport's global empire (http://www.fcx.com/operations/overview.htm) stretches across various political hotspots: Indonesia, Peru, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
More... (http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/12986/unrest_in_indonesias_mines_local_chaos_and_global_injustice/)