Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Leaders of Lhok Nga and Leupung districts in Aceh Besar regency have asked French Lafarge co-financed cement factory PT Semen Andalas Indonesia (SAI) to promote more local workers to strategic positions.

In a meeting with the company's management here Thursday, subdistrict heads and community leaders asked the company management to fulfill its promise of having a 70 percent local workforce, with some positioned in strategic posts.

They said the company had largely employed blue collar local workers, including office boys.

"We demand better positions," said Yulfan, leader of the negotiating team representing the community. "PT SAI is a guest here. We own the hill and the land where the factory is constructed. We deserve better positions than just as office boys," M Noor, of Naga Umbang sub-district, Lhok Nga, said.

The negotiating team also demanded the company pay more attention to environmental problems caused by its production activities, including in nearby hills where raw material mining is conducted using explosives.

Yulfan said the mining caused air pollution and spread dust and smoke everywhere, and that some houses had been damaged by the explosions. "But the company doesn't seem to care about us," he said.

The team, Yulfan said, had met with the management representatives several times but that no significant agreements had been reached.

SAI's President Director Marcell Cobuz said the factory was still undergoing reconstruction work after being completely destroyed by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

The work was scheduled to be completed mid this year helped by revenue from a higher cement production of 1.6 million tons per year, he added.

"I assure you the factory has fulfilled the required environmental standard according to the prevailing regulations. It's even above the standard," Cobuz told the community representatives.

SAI's communication and community development officer Wisnu D. Dwintara said 90 percent of the company's employees were locals, and that 50 percent were from Lhok Nga and Leupung.

He said very few local employees held clerical positions because of a general lack of required skills. Wisnu said the company was planning to provide trainings for newly-recruited employees to occupy clerical positions.