"Human rights and environmental issues in nickel production in Indonesia – CASE: Labour rights at the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) in Halmahera", 9 Feb 2026, Finnwatch

[...] employees’ working days, especially in shift work, are considerably longer and they work a total of 12 hours every day (8 hours of work, 4 hours of overtime). [...]

[...] amount of overtime compensation indicates that the individual workers interviewed had worked well over a hundred hours of overtime permonth. According to Indonesian law, overtime can be worked for four hours a day, but only 18 hours a week [...].

[...] Workers also must pay a fine of 140,000 to 300,000 rupees (7–15 euros) if they are absent from work without permission. This can bethe case, for example, if an employee who feels sick does not obtain a sick leave certificate [...] . Several interviews highlighted that certifying sick leave [...] was a complicated process [...].

[...] they would not be able to make ends meet on just the basic salary and the fixed bonuses [...]. As a result, workers are forced to work enormous amountsof overtime.

Inadequate protective equipment also undermines occupational safety. [...] protective gloves became hot, safety shoes were not fireproof, respirators made it difficult to breathe,and work clothes were too thin to protect against heat, sparks, and other harmful substances. Interviews also revealed stories of being told to continue working with broken machines and equipment even though they posed a safety risk. [...].

No toilets are provided at all for employees working on the IWIP expansion sites or in related support services [...].

Workers living in the village of Lelilef report that deforestation and erosion caused by IWIP’s mining and processing operations have increased flooding. The deforestation has also led to scorching heat in the area. Some interviewees also mentioned that IWIP has polluted and degraded groundwater quality. According to interviewees, wastewater discharged into the sea leads to pollution of coastal waters.

According to the interviewees, the dormitories lack privacy, are heavily polluted by mining and processing activities, and theft is common.

IWIP did not comment on the findings in any way, despite several attempts to reach it. Attempts were also made to reach Tsingshan’s other industrial park, Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park IMIP, but it also did not respond to Finnwatch’s contacts. [...].

[...] WBN did not respond to Finnwatch.

Tesla’s subcontractor Huayou Hong Kong has purchased nickel from IWIP. European companies have also made purchases from IWIP. According to Finnwatch’s investigation, companies operating in IWIP have traded nickel, including Thyssenkrupp Materials Trading GmbH, a subsidiary of the German Thyssenkrupp, and Glencore Nikkelverk AS, a Norwegian subsidiary of the Swiss Glencore. Thyssenkrupp said that it takesthe findings of the Finnwatch report very seriously and considers them in its internal processes. Glencore Nikkelverk AS did not respond to Finnwatch.