Responding To Clashes At The Morowali Smelter, Minister Of Industry Agus Asked PT GNI To Open Dialogue With Employees

Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. (Photo: Doc. Kemenperin)

JAKARTA - Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita regretted the clash between employees which led to chaos at the nickel smelter company PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (PT GNI) North Morowali, Central Sulawesi, on Saturday, January 14.

Related to this, Minister of Industry Agus appealed to companies and employees to take a mutual agreement to solve problems that are fair to all parties.

"I deeply regret the incident and express my deep sorrow for the departure of the victims. This should not have happened and must be thoroughly investigated, and an applicable legal process was carried out," Agus said in his statement in Jakarta, Monday, January 16.

Agus said the government continues to attract investment in Indonesia to provide jobs and economic growth.

Therefore, the government will ensure that Indonesia is safe for investment, so that cooperation from all parties is needed to work together to create a conducive business climate by complying with applicable regulations.

"The nickel smelter plays an important role in downstreaming the industry and strengthening the industrial structure in the country. The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) is also preparing mineral-based industrial governance (smelter) that regulates incentives, obligations and rights," he explained.

Furthermore, Agus said, his party will fully support the constructive dialogue between PT GNI and its employees, in order to reach an agreement and oblige companies to comply with the laws and regulations in force in Indonesia, including those related to fulfilling workers' rights, as well as Work and Environmental Health Safety (K3L).

"We also ask that employees can maintain a conducive situation and comply with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), especially those related to K3L, so that problems can be resolved immediately, so that their rights are fulfilled and return to their activities," he said.

Until now, Agus said that his party was continuing to coordinate with PT GNI regarding the handling of the case.

The company is known to be conducting an in-depth investigation together with the authorities and thoroughly investigating all incidents that caused losses.

In addition, the Ministry of Industry also asked for the support of the government of North Morowali Regency to immediately facilitate mediation for all parties related to it as well as possible, and to the security forces for its legal handling.

"The government asks all parties to jointly maintain a conducive situation. This is also to maintain an investment climate that benefits many parties," concluded Agus.

As is known, the clashes that occurred between foreign nationals (WNA) and Indonesian citizens (WNI) have claimed two lives, one of which is a foreigner and the other is a local citizen.

Prior to the deadly clash incident, the PT GNI smelter also exploded and reportedly killed two of its female employees, in December 2022.

However, the Ministry of Industry has not provided any information at that time.

Because, as is known, the PT GNI smelter is listed as an Industrial Business License (IUI) not an Operation Mining Business License (IUP OP) specifically for processing and or purification, so it is not the authority of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.