GHANA MINE WORKERS' MIXED REACTIONS

The Ghana Mineworkers Union is breathing a sigh of relief at the gradual rise in the prices of gold on the global market since the beginning of this year. 

According to the Union, the price of the commodity has steadily increased from a little over one thousand Dollars in January to one thousand, 340 Dollars as at the end of last month with a projection that the price would reach one thousand, 500 Dollars by the close of this year. 

The phenomenon is considered good news for players in the mining sector with the likely positive effect on job creation and the national economy in general. 

The General Secretary of the Ghana Mineworkers Union, Prince William Ankrah, shared this good news with members of the National Executive Council of the Union at the opening of their two-day Meeting in Kumasi. 

Mr. Ankrah further disclosed that already, the surge in gold price has resulted in the reduction in the rate of redundancies in the first half of this year compared with the figures recorded during the same period of last year.

 In real terms, 648 mine workers lost their jobs in the first half of last year while 156 were retrenched in the same period this year which according to him, shows a strong linkage between industry and job sustainability on one hand, and commodity prices on the other. 

On the other hand, the Ghana Mineworkers Union General Secretary spoke strongly against the problem of encroachment on the legal mining concessions of some mining companies in the country by illegal miners with Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi and Oweri Mines at Konongo being the hardest hit. 

In these mines, the illegal miners not only violently took over the concessions, but also caused the death of a management member of Anglogold. 

Mr. Ankrah noted with concern that the nefarious activities of these people have compelled Anglogold Ashanti to sue the government of Ghana at the International Court of Arbitration thereby sending a very bad signal to the international investment community about investment prospects in the country.

 Additionally, Mr. Ankrah said the situation has created safety and security problems for mine workers and warned that if the canker persists, the Union will order the withdrawal all of its over 100 thousand workers from the mines.

The National Chairman of the Union, Mensah Kwarko Gyakari, also warned that the mining sector in Ghana could soon collapse if stakeholders, particularly the government, do not find a lasting solution to the encroachment on legal mining concessions.

Mr. Gyakari again expressed worry about a new strategy adopted by mining companies to retrench some of their permanent workers and later re-engage the same people on contract basis while thwarting attempts by the workers to form labour unions at the work places. 

This, he said, is seriously threatening job security and sustainable livelihood of the mine workers.