Labor Dispute Resolved

A labor dispute with Indonesian contract workers employed by a Fluor Corp. subsidiary has been resolved after slowing down work for several days at the $2-billion Batu Hijau copper and gold mine in Indonesia, mine operator Newmont Mining Co. said Thursday.

Denver-based Newmont said that the dispute, which resulted in minor property damage, began Friday when local workers confronted general contractor Fluor Daniel over wage policies. Fluor Daniel, the construction and engineering services unit of Irvine-based Fluor Corp., was paying local workers less than it paid skilled workers recruited from other countries.

The workers will receive “more money, more leave, more vacation,” said Eric Hamer, president of Newmont’s Indonesian operations. “We worked out some of the inequities. I think they were satisfied this morning, and they went back to work.”

A Fluor spokesman said Thursday that the company worked with Newmont, its client, to resolve the labor issues. Newmont owns 45% of the mining venture, which is scheduled to begin operations late next year. Other owners are Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. and PT Pukuafu Indah, an Indonesian company.