Demonstrations, rallies, roadblocks, strikes, and protests have been occasional occurrences at jobsite. They have been as small as a few dozen Papuans who assembled near the main office complex for a few hours and as large as a site-wide strike that halted production and maintenance for several weeks. No matter how large or small they were, they took on a life of their own and added to the unique experience of living at jobsite.

Early Wednesday morning, a few hundred Freeport Indonesia employees blocked the access road to the company’s operations, preventing everyone from going to work. Within hours, that single act of defiance led to a site-wide strike (as described by the media), involving more than 3,000 employees, and an unplanned, uninvited shutdown.

The spirited crowd is no longer blocking the road, and underground mining is back in business, but the work stoppage is not completely over.   The company continues to work with union leaders, tribal leaders, and government officials to resolve the issue.

A picture of protesters (provided by a friend).

My personal opinions and views do not reflect the views of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. or any of its subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners or related business entities.