ITSS Morowali Smelter Tungku Explodes Again, Labor Union Asks For A Thorough Audit

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - IMIP Morowali's Indistribution, Pertambagan and Energy (SBIPE) labor union highlighted the explosion of a ferronickel smelter stove at PT Indonesia Tsinghan Stainless Steel (ITSS) which was repeated.

For your information, the ITSS smelter stove previously exploded on December 24, 2023, which claimed many lives and injuries. Then, the same incident occurred again on June 13, 2024 at 22.00 WITA.

Chairman of SBIPE IMIP Morowali Henry said that in the incident that occurred yesterday, two workers became victims. They are Jekmaryono and Yudarlan.

"Currently both of them are in health care at the Bungku hospital, Morowali district, Central Sulawesi province," he said in an official statement, Friday, June 14.

Furthermore, Henry assessed that the recurrence of the explosion of the smelter furnace showed that there was no significant improvement made by PT ITSS to prevent work accidents and protection of workers so that the same accident was repeated in the same part and place.

"Therefore it is very important to conduct a thorough audit through an independent team involving a labor union, as we conveyed during the ITSS tragedy last December 2023," he said.

Henry stressed that companies must take responsibility for this incident and ensure good handling of victims, including fulfilling all their rights.

"We also deny that the victims of the 2023 ITTS tragedy have not yet been fully handled by the company and we are accompanying the victims to ensure that their rights are fulfilled, which until now have not been fulfilled by the company," he said.