Organised Labour is poised to launch a nationwide strike next month unless the government intervenes at the last minute to tackle illegal mining, known as galamsey.
In an interview with Channel One News in Accra on Friday, Abdul Gbaana, the General Secretary of the Ghana Mine Workers Union, a member of Organised Labour, reiterated their firm position.
He urged the president to declare a state of emergency and enforce measures to safeguard water bodies and forests from the damage caused by illegal miners.
Gbaana also expressed his disappointment that the president failed to use the opportunity at the United Nations General Assembly to address global leaders on efforts to combat the galamsey crisis.
“The situation continues to worsen; people are even emboldened more than ever before and indeed with impunity, we find videos circulating on social media where people feel emboldened to do galamsey even more and they don’t even give a dam and so Organised Labour’s determination to proceed on a demonstration and subsequently a nationwide strike is something that we are determined to do.
“So, between today and Monday unless something changes, unless something happens if not my expectation is that Organised Labour’s planned demonstration will happen and then subsequently a nationwide strike action will take place,” Gbaana stated.
