Galamsey fight brouhaha: Organised Labour to embark on nationwide strike

Organised Labour is to embark on a nationwide strike to back their demand for an outright ban on small-scale mining as a measure to halt the illegal mining menace in the country. 

The industrial action takes effect from Thursday, October 10.

The decision was arrived at after a crunch meeting by the labour unions in Accra Tuesday, following the expiration of the September 30 deadline given to the President to declare a state of emergency over galamsey.

A statement signed by the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, and the Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL),  Kenneth Koomson, called on all workers to stay at home beginning Thursday, October 10, 2024, until the government acceded to their demand.

The statement explained that the industrial action had become necessary because of the government’s failure to meet their demands on galamsey.
 

Context

On September 11, this year, Organised Labour held a media briefing and demanded immediate action from the President to stop the increasing spate of galamsey in the country.

The labour unions called on the President to declare a state of emergency in line with the provisions of Articles 31 and 31 (4) of the 1992 Constitution.

They also asked for the immediate revocation of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022 (L.I. 2462) and the withdrawal of all licences that had been granted for prospecting or mining in forest reserves and protected areas.

Again, the labour unions called on the government to establish a special court to prosecute perpetrators of galamsey.

Following the expiration of the deadline, Organised Labour held an emergency meeting in Accra at which they resolved to lay down their tools to exert pressure on the government to act with immediate effect.

Implications

There will be an imminent shutdown of the economy if Organised Labour, made up of labour unions in the public and private sectors, carry out the industrial action.  

The implication of the strike is that TUC and all its 21 affiliate national unions with membership across all the sectors of the economy, will lay down their tools.

Some of the unions under organised labour are GFL, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), and Ghana Medical Association (GMA).

The others are the National Association of Registered Midwives (NARM), Government Hospitals Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA), University Teachers Association (UTAG), Technical Universities Teachers’ Association of Ghana (TUTAG), Technical Universities Administrators Association of Ghana (TUAAG), and Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU).

Grace period

Meanwhile, the General- Secretary of GFL, Abraham Koomson, told the Daily Graphic that if the government responded positively to the demands of organised labour within the nine-day grace period, the group would reconsider its decision to lay down their tools.

He stressed that the only miracle that could stop the strike was the President declaring a state of emergency over galamsey and subsequently banning small-scale mining.

“We urge all workers of Ghana to be on the alert and let us collectively demonstrate our love for the country by laying down our tools on October 10,” he said.

Background

More organised groups have voiced their concerns about the spate of illegal mining in the country, demanding drastic action from the government to end the menace.

The Media Coalition Against Galamsey and Organised Labour asked the government to be decisive in dealing with the life-threatening menace while the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) and the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) said in separate statements that the need for action had become urgent.

The multi-stakeholder coalition called on the government to put a moratorium on all forms of small-scale mining, including community mining, with immediate effect.