Striking worker shot dead at Freeport mine in West Papua
Indonesian security forces shot and killed one protestor and injured more than a dozen others as they clashed with striking workers at Freeport’s Grasberg mine in Indonesian controlled West Papua yesterday.
Workers at the Grasberg mine started striking 27 days ago, demanding that their pay – be increased from a minimum of $2.10 to $12.50 an hour.US-based company Freeport McMoRan is the operator of the world’s largest copper and gold mine and the largest taxpayer to the Indonesian government.Freeport will not budge from an offer of an 11 per cent pay rise over two years.According to Forbes, Freeport Copper CEO Richard Adkerson receives 25.9 million in annual compensation.The union representing the 11,000 workers on strike says the strike will continue until November 15.