Organized Labour has announced a nationwide strike starting October 10, 2024, due to the government’s failure to address their concerns about illegal mining, known as galamsey.
During an emergency meeting on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Organized Labour expressed frustration over the government’s lack of action on the matter.
Barely two weeks ago, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in collaboration with the Media Coalition against ‘Galamsey’ presented three key demands to the government, including the immediate removal of all mining equipment from forest reserves and areas surrounding water bodies.
They also called for the deployment of police and military forces with full authority to remove or destroy all mining and earth-moving equipment near river bodies and within forest reserves and to halt all forms of mining in forest reserves across the country.
Joshua Ansah, Secretary General of the TUC after engaging with stakeholders stated that following the expiration of the set deadline and the government’s failure to meet their earlier demands regarding illegal mining, Organized Labour has decided to declare a nationwide strike effective October 10, 2024.
“We are therefore calling on all workers to stay at home starting Thursday, October 10, 2024, until government accede to our demands,” part of a statement to this effect read.
However, a Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has condemned the comment by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Effiduase Asokore and Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Ayew Afriyie, that the NPP has no intention of banning illegal mining either now or in the foreseeable future.
He described the comment as unfortunate and not politically smart.
Prof Gyampo questioned why the government stood aloof without stopping their claims about the opposition NDC hiring foreigners to destroy the country’s water bodies.
“What did you do to stop that? Have you arrested those who are compromising our water bodies? If you have this information and you don’t do anything about that then you have no business being government; It is absurd “
“To him, partisan politics is a bane to quality education outcomes emphasizing that “some people have been educated but because of partisan politics they suddenly cannot think twice nor behave well.”
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Source: Eric Sekyi/ATLFMNEWS
