Asking Erick Thohir To Remove President Director Nicke Widyawati, Pertamina Workers Union Threatens To Strike Until New Year

Pertamina President Director Nicke Widyawati and Pertamina President Commissioner Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok). (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The United Pertamina Labor Union Federation (FSPPB) has threatened to carry out a strike until the end of the new year. This action will be carried out by all Pertamina Group employees in all regions. They asked the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir to remove the President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Nicke Widyawati.

The strike action will be carried out at two different times, starting on December 29, 2021, and January 7, 2022.

"We hereby notify the President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) and the Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia that we will carry out a strike," wrote the Strike Notification Letter received by VOI, Tuesday, December 21.

This strike was suspected by the failure to reach a Collective Labor Agreement (PKB) within Pertamina between employers and workers represented by the FSPPB. Employers and workers represented by FSPPB failed to negotiate.

In addition, the union views that there is no good faith from the President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) to build harmonious, dynamic, and fair working relations or industrial peace. So in their demands the union urged to remove the president director from his position and replace him with a better one.

The union explained that the strike action and this demand were a form of disappointment over the neglect of the demand for the Minister of SOEs to leave the position of President Director of Pertamina which is currently filled by Nicke Widyawati.

"The United Pertamina Workers Union Federation (FSPPB) as the workers organization of PT Pertamina (Persero) asks the Minister of SOEs with all their authority to remove Ms. Nicke Widyawati as President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero)," the letter read.

However, the FSPPB said the strike could be stopped before the stipulated time period if the demands had been met or if the company was willing to negotiate with the union.

"We can stop the strike before the time period that we convey if our demands according to the letter to the Minister of SOEs of the Republic of Indonesia have been fulfilled and/or the company is willing to negotiate with the conditions that we have conveyed to the HR director of PT Pertamina (Persero) on the agenda of the meeting. the PKB negotiations which will take place in Cirebon on December 8-10, 2021," the letter read.