The industrial dispute at the huge Grasberg copper and gold mine that started earlier this month, has continued to escalate with the company, Freeport-McMoran now having terminated the contracts of over 2,000 workers. The mine has always been controversial because of its massive size, its environmental impact on the region and the fact that the local Indigenous West Papuans have seen very little of its wealth. The mine is protected by a large contingent of Indonesian soldiers. Latest reports indicate that up to 4,000 miners might now have been sacked.
The industrial dispute at the huge Grasberg copper and gold mine that started earlier this month, has continued to escalate with the company, Freeport-McMoran now having terminated the contracts of over 2,000 workers. The mine has always been controversial because of its massive size, its environmental impact on the region and the fact that the local Indigenous West Papuans have seen very little of its wealth. The mine is protected by a large contingent of Indonesian soldiers. Latest reports indicate that up to 4,000 miners might now have been sacked.
