Galamsey: Organised labour to proceed on Oct. 10 strike as gov’t fails to meet demands

Organised labour is still set to embark on a strike on Thursday, October 10.

This industrial action aligns with its demand for the government to crack down on illegal mining by banning all forms of mining in forest reserves, among other measures.

This follows a crucial meeting today to deliberate on the President’s request for more time to address their demands regarding the issue.

“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,” the leadership said.

On October 3, President Akufo-Addo made an appeal to Organised Labour during a meeting asking them to reconsider the strike.

The president reassured the labour leaders of his administration’s commitment to tackling the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, also known as galamsey.

He expressed the need for unity in addressing this pressing national issue.

But at the meeting today, members of organised labour resolved that government’s assurance was not enough.

On the back of this, “our strike notice remains unchanged.”

The demands of organised labour’s demands included declaring a state of emergency, revoking L.I. 2462, and deploying the military to forest areas and water bodies to combat illegal mining.