More than one thousand (1,000) workers of Gold Fields Damang Mine are set to stage a mass picketing at the Minerals Commission next week.
The protest, organized by the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union, is aimed at getting the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to provide clear reasons for its decision to terminate the contract for the Damang mining operations.
General Secretary of the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, revealed this in an interview with 3news’ Labour Affairs Correspondent, Daniel Opoku, in Accra on April 14.
In 2013, the government of Ghana signed a development agreement with Gold Fields, the managers of Damang Mine.
As part of the deal, Gold Fields was tasked with making significant investments to revive and sustain the mine’s operations.
In response, Gold Fields pumped over 1.4 billion dollars into the Damang project, transforming it into one of the most viable mining operations in the country.
However, the company’s mining lease has now expired, and government has opted not to renew it.
While no official explanation has been provided, media reports suggest that government may be considering a broader policy shift toward the nationalization of mining operations in Ghana.
Mr Gbana has raised concerns about the lack of transparency.
“We shouldn’t allow policy makers to take decisions arbitrarily. Any such decisions have far-reaching implications. If government position is that going forward, we want to nationalize the mines that is entirely government position but don’t keep other investors in a limbo.”
“As we speak now, it is Gold Fields today. All other mining companies you put them in a jittery state so they are wondering what they will be doing next. So government ought to be very clear in communicating its position to give assurances to investors,” he noted.
Mr Gbana said the Damang Mine employs over a thousand workers, and failure to engage stakeholders could lead to serious labour unrest.
“Workers close to over 1,000 get a living from Damang and so the government ought to be more prudent and very circumspect in their approach on how the lease will be handled. At the end of the day, the far-reaching implications of government decisions are there for us to see. Employees will lose their jobs, the domestic economy of Damang is going to go down,” he cautioned.
In a related development, Mr Gbana reacted to recent comments made by the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak that foreigners caught engaging in illegal mining activities will be repatriated.
“I think these statements are condemnable. I think that this is something that the government of Ghana should be apologizing to the people of Ghana. You cannot go and commit a crime whether in China or in the US and then the only sanction you get is a part on your back, they package your stuff and then fly you back to Ghana. Who does that? No! He lamented.
On the subject of GoldBod, a key government initiative aimed at promoting responsible small-scale mining, the General Secretary said “So on the GoldBod, we wish the government well even though we have our own misgivings. We wish that the expectations for which the GoldBod was set up will be realized.”
Mr Gbana added that “The GoldBod is not going to deliver its objectives all by itself. It takes human beings, and I keep saying to government officials that Ghana’s mining industry will remain a mining industry relevant to our economy when and if workers are appreciated.”
