Galamsey Organised Labour to Embark on Nationwide Strike in Spite of Dialogue with Prez

Organised Labour has remained resolute in carrying out their intended nationwide strike action on October 10, 2024, in spite of calls from the presidency to rescind their decision.

The decision to embark on the nationwide strike was cemented when the said meeting with the President appeared dissatisfactory to the leadership of Organised Labour.

According to the leadership of Organised Labour, the response of the President for their demands made is not encouraging.

Organised Labour has been urging the President to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining and implement long-term solutions to combat the menace, but the response has not been forthcoming.

Speaking to the press on Monday, October 7, the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Joshua Ansah, reiterated the union’s determination to go ahead with the strike unless significant action is taken by the government before the ultimatum.

Mr. Joshua Ansah said, “We have concluded as follows; our strike remains unchanged.”

He added, “We are of the view that what the government has proposed does not adequately address our demands and therefore our notice of strike remains unchanged.”

In other news, there is an alleged unrest within the leadership of Organized Labour as some members from the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) and other groups expressed their displeasure over their non-involvement in the decision making process in relation to the nationwide strike.

A faction, identifying themselves as “Concerned Members of Organised Labour,” has opposed to the decision to embark on the nationwide strike based on the lack of proper communication from the leadership of Organised labour.

Although they support the fight against galamsey, they believe the leadership’s approach to declaring the strike was improper.

The group is calling on Organised Labour’s leadership to suspend the strike and engage in further dialogue with the government.

Dr. Solomon Fokuo, a member of TUTAG, expressed these concerns to Journalists in Kumasi, emphasizing that if the leadership had shown the same level of commitment to addressing the welfare of their members, the situation could have been handled more effectively.

He noted, “We are all against galamsey. We are against all those who are destroying our waterbodies and the environment and we urge the government to use legal means to stop it to protect our environment, but the major concern is what Organised Labour is talking about."

“They have decided to declare a strike on October 10 but we were not consulted and we have not been involved and are not aware," he said.

“We have not been involved in any of the activities that they have been doing. We don’t know where they get their energy from and if they had used the same energy in fighting for our welfare, things would have been better.”Kobina Darlington/