Two killed in riot at Chinese-funded nickel plant in Indonesia

The demonstrations at the PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI) in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, ended in clashes between groups of Indonesian workers and foreign workers from China, leading to the deaths of two people, a Chinese and an Indonesian, reports The Diplomat.

Last Saturday, workers belonging to the National Workers’ Union (SPN) held a meeting with the company.

During the meeting, the mass of SPN workers presented eight demands to the company, but no agreement was reached between the two parties at the meeting.

These demands included the implementation of Occupational Security and Safety (K3) procedures, the provision of personal protective equipment to workers, a halt to wage deductions, and the rehiring of SPN members who were terminated because they had gone on strike, the online news portal reported.

The company plant, where the incident took place,  belongs to the Chinese steel giant, Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry Co. Ltd., which also carries out mineral mining and refining operations in the Xiangshui Industrial Economic Zone in Jiangsu province.