The collapse of a new mining tunnel at the giant Freeport McMoran mine in the highlands of West Papua, Indonesia has now claimed the lives of 28 workers with no hope of finding any more survivors. This copper and gold mine began as an open cut mine but is now starting a new underground phase as it searches for deeper ore bodies. Underground mining is very dangerous and the poor safety record of Indonesia’s mining industry does not bode well for the future. Workers rallied in Jakarta demanding better OHS conditions. The workforce at this mine fought a bitter 3 month strike in 2011 where workers tried to establish a global living wage for Freeport miners.
The collapse of a new mining tunnel at the giant Freeport McMoran mine in the highlands of West Papua, Indonesia has now claimed the lives of 28 workers with no hope of finding any more survivors. This copper and gold mine began as an open cut mine but is now starting a new underground phase as it searches for deeper ore bodies. Underground mining is very dangerous and the poor safety record of Indonesia’s mining industry does not bode well for the future. Workers rallied in Jakarta demanding better OHS conditions. The workforce at this mine fought a bitter 3 month strike in 2011 where workers tried to establish a global living wage for Freeport miners.
