Organised Labour confirms decision to proceed with nationwide strike against galamsey

The decision by Organised Labour to move on with the nationwide strike scheduled for Thursday, October 10, 2024 has been confirmed.

The organization stated that, although President Akufo-Addo reiterated his commitment to tackling the issue of illegal mining, they were not satisfied with his response to their demands.

Organized Labor has been pressing the president to issue an emergency proclamation on illicit mining and to enact long-term measures to counter the threat.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) Secretary General, Joshua Ansah, told the media on Monday, October 7, that the union will continue with the strike until the government takes meaningful action before the deadline.

“We have concluded as follows; our strike remains unchanged,’ he stated.

He continued: “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.”

Meanwhile, tensions have surfaced within Organised Labour as some factions, particularly from the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) and other groups, claim they were not consulted before the announcement of the strike.

A faction, identifying themselves as “Concerned Members of Organised Labour,” has voiced opposition to how the strike decision was communicated. Although they support the fight against galamsey, they believe the leadership’s approach to declaring the strike was improper.

The organization is requesting that the leadership of Organised Labour put a stop to the strike and hold more talks with the government.

TUTAG member Dr. Solomon Fokuo raised these concerns with Kumasi journalists, pointing out that the crisis could have been handled more skillfully if the leadership had demonstrated the same degree of dedication to attending to the welfare of its members.

“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.

“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.”