Galamsey: Organised Labour stands firm on October 10 strike despite internal divisions
Accra, Ghana - October 7, 2024 - Organised Labour has reaffirmed its intention to embark on a nationwide strike on Thursday, October 10, 2024, citing the government's inadequate response to its demands on illegal mining.
The strike is expected to cripple key sectors, including education, healthcare, and transportation.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) Secretary General, Joshua Ansah, expressed Organised Labour's dissatisfaction with President Akufo-Addo's proposals, stating that they fail to address the group's concerns.
“We have concluded as follows; our strike remains unchanged,’ he stated.
“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,'' he added.
The union has been pushing for a state of emergency declaration and long-term solutions to combat illegal mining.
However, internal divisions have emerged within Organised Labour, with factions like the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) questioning the strike decision. A breakaway group, "Concerned Members of Organised Labour," has called for suspension of the strike and renewed dialogue with the government.
Dr. Solomon Fokuo, a member of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), expressed concerns to journalists in Kumasi about the leadership's approach to addressing member welfare.
He emphasized that if the leadership had shown the same level of commitment to addressing their members' welfare, the current situation could have been handled more effectively.
“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,'' he stated.
“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,'' he added.
Source: Lead News Online
