Chinese footwear and garment manufacturer Yihong Novatex has terminated 1,126 workers at its factory in Cirebon following days of mass strikes that halted production and reportedly caused billions of rupiah in financial losses The strike began in early March as a show of solidarity after the dismissal of three employees many workers who participated now express regret over their involvement “I was included in the mass termination even though I didn’t know what the real issue was,” said Siti Nursamsyah She recounted returning to the factory in Kanci Village only to find the gates locked and a notice listing the names of those who had been laid off as of March 10 -- including her own I wouldn’t have joined the strike,” she said saying she felt pressured to join the protests “I wasn’t interested in the rally but I had no choice because almost everyone participated,” she said said she joined without fully understanding the reasons “Everyone joined the rally -- why shouldn’t I?” she said The strikes disrupted operations significantly resulting in delayed production and the cancellation of orders from buyers Although the exact financial losses were not disclosed management suspended operations at the Cirebon facility Yihong Novatex has committed to paying severance packages and Eid al-Fitr bonuses to affected employees “This is a lesson learned -- unilateral actions like this damage the investment climate in Cirebon and ultimately harm both investors and the workers themselves,” Asep said on Monday He emphasized that labor disputes should be resolved through structured dialogue between unions and management under the supervision of relevant government agencies Yihong Novatex is planning to resume operations in Cirebon and begin recruiting new workers “There have been discussions with the Cirebon regent and we hope the upcoming hiring process will proceed smoothly,” he added An Indonesian court has ordered the revocation of the environmental permit for the Cirebon 2 coal-fired power plant The project aims to build a 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant next to an existing 600-megawatt facility in Cirebon in the western part of Indonesia’s Java Island The current power plant and the planned expansion have been the subject of an ongoing campaign by local and international environmental activists According to an April 19 judgement from the Bandung Administrative Court the expansion plan violated the local spatial planning law Cirebon Energi Prasarana had permission to operate in one sub-district the project plans  were also found to cover a second sub-district Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) explained in an April 20 press statement “This is an important judgement which shows the failure of the local government to respect an approvals process designed to protect the lives and livelihoods of people in the surrounding area,” added Wahyu Widianto the project should not be allowed to continue the developers can appeal the ruling within 14 days of its issuance the verdict marks a significant victory for activists who have long been fighting coal-power developments in Cirebon Dozen of residents from the affected sub-districts gathered at the Bandung courthouse to hear the verdict and They claim the existing plant has had negative health impacts due to air pollution and has already harmed the livelihoods of fisherman Since the 600-megawatt plant opened five years ago, life in Cirebon has become increasingly precarious, 70-year old Astanajapura sub-district resident Jusmadi told Mongabay-Indonesia and fishponds don’t always produce fish who like many Indonesians goes by one name Villagers fear adding an additional 1,000-megawatts of capacity will have even greater impact on them The project has been the focus of numerous demonstrations including a May 2016 protest in which environmental activists climbed machinery used to unload fuel being shipped into the plant hanging protest banners and blocking the supply of coal The expansion plans for Cirebon are also the subject of a civil case which alleges that local officials did not satisfy all legal and procedural requirements before clearing the project’s environmental impact assessment the suit alleges that the AMDAL and environmental permit were issued without legally required consultations with affected communities financing plans have continued to move forward a consortium of international financers led by the state-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) committed to providing the project $1.74 billion in funding “Signing the loan agreement on day before the court decision shows a total disrespect for Indonesian laws and even could be seen as an attempt to influence the court JBIC now must drop all financing plans for Cirebon 2,” WALHI campaigner Dwi Sawung said in a press statement Japanese environmental groups — including Friends of the Earth Japan Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society Kiko Network and 350.org Japan — have also called on JBIC to withdraw financing for the project “We express our strong and serious objection against JBIC’s premature decision to finance Cirebon 2 which prioritises the company’s profit over the local people’s rights whilst ignoring a judicial decision in the host country and in contravention of its own guidelines,” the NGOs wrote in an April 19 joint statement JBIC did not respond to an emailed request for comments FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […]