Safety worries put mine on hold

Indonesia reacts to deaths in May

BALI, Indonesia — Indonesia’s government has ordered that production be halted at a giant Phoenix-owned gold and copper mine during an investigation into recent fatal accidents there, a senior official said Monday.

Mines and Energy Minister Jero Wacik said the mine will be allowed only to conduct maintenance during the probe by an independent team, which is expected to take two to three months.

PT Freeport Indonesia’s Big Gossan underground training facility at its Grasberg mine in easternmost Papua province collapsed May 14, killing 28 workers. A truck driver at the mine died on Saturday, a day after he was injured when liquid-ore material flowed into his vehicle.

The mine, owned by Phoe-

nix-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., produces about 220,000 tons of ore per day, 140,000 from its open-pit mine and 80,000 from an underground mine.

Freeport said it has completed a preliminary safety inspection of its mines and is in the process of forming its own team to investigate the collapse.

Daisy Primayanti, a Freeport Indonesia spokeswoman, said the company will cooperate with the government in efforts to restart mining operations.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered officials to thoroughly evaluate all mining companies in the country to ensure safety.

Operations at the Grasberg mine were suspended for two weeks until May 28 after the tunnel collapse. However, three days later, liquid ore flowed into the truck, killing the driver.

Union leader Virgo Salossa said Monday that unionized workers will refuse to work until the release of the investigation results.

More than 20,000 workers are employed at the mine, which began operations in the 1970s.

In 2011, production was crippled when 8,000 unionized employees walked off the job after demanding higher pay. The strike ended after the company agreed to a 37 percent wage hike and improved benefits.