An Indonesian mining commentator says Freeport McMoran is trying to mobilise workers from outside Papua to work at its Grasberg mine where many staff are striking.
Union workers, or about 12,000 of Freeport Papua's 23,000 workers, have extended their strike, which began September 15th, at the massive gold and copper mine.
The workers are demanding better pay, saying the average mine worker's rate of between US$1.5 to $3 per hour is unfair while the company's profits are soaring.
The Mining Advocacy Network's Siti Maimunah says that Freeport is saying little publicly about the strike and treating operations as business-as-usual.
"They're not announcing that they've stopped operations. But they're trying to mobilise labour from outside Papua to come to change the labour that has striked at the moment. Freeport tries to not care about the people or the labour demands on the strike."
Siti Maimunah
