The following is abridged from a statement by the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).
US trade unionists demonstrated outside Texaco's Washington office on July 30 to protest against labour and human rights violations at an Indonesian oil facility owned by Texaco and Chevron. The demonstration was sponsored by the US labour confederation AFL-CIO and by the 20 million-strong ICEM.
At issue is a strike by 8000 oil workers at a rig owned by Caltex Petroleum Corp, a joint venture between Texaco and Chevron, located in central Sumatra. The workers are employed by a Caltex subcontractor, PT Tripatra, which violated Indonesian labour law when it refused to make those of the workers with more than two years' seniority permanent employees and pay them the compensation due to them. The Indonesian workers are members of the Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI).
When the company refused to follow a May directive from the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower, the workers struck on June 21. PT Tripatra fired the strikers on July 6 and has been using the Indonesian army and police to intimidate and harass the strikers. On July 23, the security forces fired rubber bullets at the strikers, shooting one man in the head, and assaulted several other strikers.
"We call on Chevron and Texaco to use their considerable power and influence to insist that these workers are treated fairly and justly", insisted Robert Wages, executive vice-president of the ICEM-affiliated Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers International Union (PACE), which represents workers at Chevron and Texaco facilities in the US.
"We will not stand by and allow these workers rights to be trampled on", added Kenneth Zinn, ICEM North American Regional Coordinator. "It is appalling that, in the waning days of the 20th century, a worker anywhere in the world can be shot in the head for exercising his legitimate right to withhold his labour."
For more information contact ICEM by e-mail at <icem@geo2.poptel.org.uk>.