Players in the illegal mining business also known as ‘galamsey’, have strongly kicked against the calls for the ban on all forms of small-scale mining in the country.
Some illegal miners ‘galamseyers’ in the Wassa Amenfi East District on Tuesday, October 09, 2024, stormed the premises of the Assembly to protest against the calls for the ban.
The pollution of water bodies and destruction of forest reserves has necessitated calls from various groups and Civil Society Organisations to the government to place a ban on the practice.
The government’s refusal has caused Organised Labour to threaten a nationwide strike beginning Thursday, October 10, 2024.
As part of their demands, members of the group want government to declare a state of emergency and ban all forms of small-scale mining.
Some members of the government have kicked against the calls saying their party will lose parliamentary seats if they place a ban.
On Tuesday, October 08, a group calling itself Responsible Small Scale Miners Association of Ghana, issued a statement declaring its disappointment with Organised Labour.
It said the fact that some people are engaging in illegality, does not mean those mining responsibly should be stopped to affect their livelihood. It also threatened to demonstrate against Organised Labour if it goes ahead with its strike.
In the Wassa Amenfi East district of the Western Region, some galamseyers stormed the district assembly to protest against the workers’ intention to strike over galamsey.
In a video footage shared on social media, the galamseryers, some in red armbands, stormed the office chanting their disapproval with the decision.
According to them, the galamsey business is what has sustained them and their families since the government has not provided any jobs for them.
They said the government has no business stopping them to stop engaging in illegality because there are no jobs for them.
Galamseyers have begun storming MMDAs to protest the organized labor strike. Video footage from Wassa Amenfi East, Western Region pic.twitter.com/doa73LmfLU
— n1vlek (@kelvin_aduful) October 8, 2024
