See http://westpapuamedia.info/2012/01/24/amungme-leader-warns-freeport-it-could-be-closed-down/.

The strike pitted a low-wage but determined and enlightened workforce against a global extractive resource company, US-based Freeport-McMoRan that has Grasberg at top of its massive revenue stream. (London-listed Rio Tinto has been indispensable to Freeport, acting as its critical 40% joint-venture partner at the mine for over a decade.)

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11374&l=1.

(The Grasberg mine’s internal “security” is in the hands of PT Securicor Indonesia – part of G4S, the world’s most extended network of its kind that is based in the English county of West Sussex. London-listed Rio Tinto has also been indispensable to Freeport, acting as its critical 40% joint-venture partner at the mine for over a decade.)

See http://www.npr.org/2011/11/16/142346962/in-indonesia-anger-against-mining-giant-grows.

Workers at the mine have announced that the strike will be extended till 15 December. Negotiations are still ongoing.The union representing the Freeport workers, PUK SP – KEP SPSI, is asking for financial donations to support the strikers.

See http://aawl.org.au/content/donate-freeport-strikers.

See also: Twenty-two years of top-down resource exploitation in Papua
Among the companies benefiting from Indonesia’s occupation of West Papua is Britain’s Rio Tinto. See article from LMN member group Down to Earth’s November newsletter: http://www.downtoearth-indonesia.org/story/twenty-two-years-top-down-resource-exploitation-papua.

There’s no end in sight to the world’s biggest wages-related mining strike, as Freeport workers continue blockading (West) Papua’s Grasberg operations, following Indonesian police attacks that have already claimed several lives.

Meanwhile, the police have admitted receiving money from the company to perform “security” duties: funds one spokesperson described as “lunch money” but the country’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) calls “bribery”. Paying the police to assist in breaking lawful industrial action – and committing grave human rights abuses as a result – clearly runs counter to Indonesian law.

According to a report in Indonesian Tribunnews (cited by Mineweb on 7 November 2011), Indonesia’s National Police has now agreed to allow the KPK to investigate these allegations. A police spokesman recently admitted the force had received US$14 million last year from the company and that, among the alleged beneficiaries, were 356 police officers who each received US$130 per month.

The Grasberg mine’s internal “security” is in the hands of PT Securicor Indonesia – part of G4S, the world’s most extended network of its kind that is based in the English county of West Sussex.

London-listed Rio Tinto has also been indispensable to Freeport, acting as its critical 40% joint-venture partner at the mine for over a decade.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11285.

See also Indonesian National Police to permit Freeport security funding probe, http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page36?oid=138986&sn=Detail&pid=92730.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11262.

See also They ask for wages, not bullets, http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/24/they-ask-wages-not-bullets.html
Striking Freeport miners shot dead in Indonesian strike, http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11236
and Norway’s ‘ethical divestment’ from Rio Tinto, http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/08/201182913613680545.html.

Grasberg is operated by US-owned company Freeport Indonesia but Rio Tinto helped finance mine expansion and receives a large proportion of the mine’s profits.

See http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2011/10/2011101052724758754.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/10/indonesian-forces-striking-mine-workers.

See http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/08/2011828142858857222.html#.TokJmXDLgQ0.mailto.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11179.

See http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/08/2011823133628702154.html.

See http://www.opendemocracy.net/alex-rayfield-claudia-king/strike-pressures-pt-freeport-indonesia-into-serious-negotiations.

Two weeks ago, 8,000 of them went on strike at the Grasberg mine, the world’s biggest single source of mined gold and one of its leading copper producers.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11038.

Workers started returning to work Wednesday. Union chief Sudiro, who goes by only one name, said the decision was made after Freeport-McMoRan’s management agreed to reinstate six fired labour leaders and reopen negotiations about wages and benefits on July 20.

[The Grasberg mine is operated by the Indonesian subsidiary of US company Freeport-McMoRan but mine expansion was heavily financed by London-based Rio Tinto, which takes a large share of the copper-gold mine's profits.]

See http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jviJaSwIHhZCyTX5pOV7U-ZtPzyg?docId=7963ffae686d4a9a8093966d86ef7e91.

See http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/7294.

You can learn more about the criticims of Rio Tinto by viewing these clips of the talks given at the public meeting the evening before the AGM at Amnesty UK’s Human Rights Action Centre in London:

Chalid Muhammad speaks about Rio Tinto in Indonesia.

Joan Sekler speaks about Rio Tinto’s treatment of workers at its Borax operations in California, USA

Cherise Udell speaks about Rio Tinto’s pollution of the air at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Meg Townsend speaks about Rio Tinto’s threats to water quality and Indigenous rights in Michigan, USA

Martin Stanley talks about Rio Tinto’s QMM project in Madagascar

Tricia Feeney speaks about Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia

Roger Moody speaks about Rio Tinto’s relationship with the Ivanhoe company in Mongolia

14 April 2011 

LONDON -Chalid Muhammad, one of Indonesia’s leading Green activists, attended the Annual Shareholders Meeting of the Rio Tito mining corporation, held in London today (April 14 2011).

Chalid had flown from Jakarta especially to present the concerns of communities living around the Kelian gold mine, which the UK mining giant had owned and operated for over a decade until its closure in 2003.

Citing evidence he had recently collected from residents in Tutung, the village to which inhabitants of the mining area had been involuntarily moved by police, Chalid reminded shareholders of the egregious human rights abuses – including rape and other assaults – which local people had suffered .

He pointed out that, though many  claims had been settled, others were still outstanding; specifically those of a family who had occupied land, taken for resettlement of other villagers, but had never been admitted to the compensation process. 

Chalid described  Tutung as having the aspect of “a ghost town”, with many residents having left the area. Many shops had closed. Promises of a sustainable livelihood, made by Rio Tinto, had simply not been fulfilled, and those left “had difficulty in maintaining the land, because Rio Tinto / KEM has never given them the necessary legal documents”.

Mr Muhammad – one of the most experienced investigators of conditions at Kelian, from the outset of operations -  went on to convey the fears, now felt by hundreds of villagers, that one or more of the pits that Rio Tinto says it has made secure, might fail.

He said that the Namuk tailings dam had already overflowed on two occasions in 2009 and 2010, and asked what provisions the UK company had made, to prevent a worse event  happening in future. 

Corporate Responses

 In response, Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive Officer, Tom Albanese, acknowledged that there had been human rights abuses in the early years of the mine’s operation. Mr Albanese also claimed to be in continuing communication with several NGOs in dealing with compensation issues.

In response, Chalid Muhammad, presented a letter to Jan Du Plessis, Rio Tinto’s chairman, from Tutung’s head,  H Mochammad Ali, which outlined the community’s ongoing grievances.

A British shareholder told shareholders that he had also inspected the Kelian site last year, and asked whether the company would guarantee that,  after it finally quit the area in 2013, to maintain the Namuq tailings dam  “in pertuity”, considering  the long term danger of a collapse.

Mr Albanese responded that this would be a concern of the Indonesian authorities, with whom  Rio Tinto continued to be in discussions. However he did say that he would raise this matter during future talks.

Lasampala and Grasberg

As a native of Sulawesi, Chalid Muhammad also expressed deep concerns at the possible of widespread damage from Rio Tinto’s prospective nickel mine  at Lasampala.

He asked about the nature of the agreement  the company has  recently announced, which places responsibility for initial work at the site on Sherritt International, the Canadian nickel producer.

“If there’s environmental pollution or human rights abuses arising from this  work, will Rio Tinto claim it’s not responsible – just as it has done since it invested as a 40% partner with Freeport in West Papua?” asked Mr Muhammad.

To which Mr. Albanese made no response.

Freeport McMoran is a US company but its Grasberg operations were massively expanded with the help of Rio Tinto, which continues to share in the mine’s profits.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10633.