Organised Labour is set to meet on Tuesday, October 1, to finalise plans for its intended nationwide protest aimed at compelling the government to take decisive action against illegal mining, locally known as ‘galamsey.’
The protest is being organised in response to the government’s perceived inaction and silence on the growing environmental destruction caused by galamsey, which has ravaged rivers, forest reserves, and farmlands across Ghana.
Several unions and workers’ associations had issued warnings earlier in the month, stating that they would proceed with a demonstration by the end of September if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government failed to declare a state of emergency to combat illegal mining activities.
The planned protest is a culmination of growing frustration from organised labour and civil society groups who argue that illegal mining has reached crisis levels, with devastating impacts on the environment and local communities.
In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM on Sunday, Abdul Moomin Gbana, the General Secretary of the Ghana Mine Workers Union, confirmed that a crucial meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 1.
This meeting will involve key stakeholders in Organised Labour, and its primary agenda will be to assess the current situation, review their demands, and make a final decision on the way forward regarding their planned protest.
Gbana emphasised that the leadership of Organised Labour remains committed to the original plan of staging a nationwide demonstration.
He noted that the demands put forward to the government had not been adequately addressed, and the unions are determined to hold the government accountable for its promises to tackle the galamsey menace.
“I don’t think that organised labour in any way will deviate from our original plan. Our original plan holds. Hopefully, on Tuesday, I want to believe that it will be an endorsement of the plan that we put forward and, indeed, the demands that we have made on the president.”
END
