Bribery claim engulfs Organised Labour after galamsey strike fiasco

…All eyes on Catholic Church

Organised Labour, is heavily reeling under bribery allegation, after calling off their much-publicized strike against Galamsey, which has left the country’s water bodies heavily polluted and forest reserves depleted.

The bribery claim, has left the image of Organised Labour badly battered, forcing an unknown member of the workers’ body out to control the damage. King Ali Awudu, president of the Coalition of Concern Teachers (CCT) described as a key member of Organised Labour, dismissed the accusation as baseless and unfounded.

This is after the well-known faces, Joshua Ansah of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Isaac Bampoe Addo of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) who met with the President, Nana Akufo-Addo in a secret meeting inside the Jubilee House, have gone missing from public view.

At last Wednesday’s meeting, Joshua Ansah ably aided by Isaac Bampoe Addo, read out what looked like an already-prepared speech, saying it was in line with all that Organised Labour was expecting the government to do.

The statement was hotly contested by others, but the decenters were heckled by Isaac Bampoe Addo and sympathizers of the Akufo-Addo government, who then called the media into the meeting to capture a second reading of the statement, thus forcing the decenters into submission.

Many left the meeting highly disappointed, and with claims that Joshua Ansah and Bampoe Addo, had been financially induced by the government to call off the strike.

All eyes is currently on today’s prayer walk by the Greater Accra Catholic Archdioceses dubbed, “Environmental Prayer Protest Walk Against Galamsey”.

Prof Ransford Gyampo, President of the University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UG-UTAG) who was in the meeting, later accused leaders of Organized Labour of unilaterally calling off a planned nationwide strike without adequately consulting their members.

In a statement via Facebook on Wednesday, October 9, Prof Gyampo, revealed that Organized Labour leaders, suspended the strike action, originally scheduled for yesterday, October 10, 2024, without considering input from union members.

But King Ali Awudu, refuted the bribery allegations that the Akufo-Addo government financially influenced the leadership of Organized Labour, hence their decision to call off their planned nationwide strike.

The strike was intended to protest the government’s inaction in addressing illegal mining, since Wednesday, very disappointed Ghanaians have been out accusing Organised Labour of accepting bribes in exchange for cancelling the strike.

But Awudu, emphasised that Organised Labour’s actions, had already led to significant progress, compelling the Akufo-Addo government to take concrete steps. He highlighted that within a month, the government committed to revoking the Legislative Instrument (LI) that permits mining in forest reserves.

He also stressed that the decision to call off the strike was based on the tangible results of their negotiations, not any form of financial influence.

“Whenever somebody is of a certain opinion, and another has a dissenting opinion the easy thing some people in this country would do is to accuse you of going to A or B. But mind you, so many organisations in this country have threatened to do certain things about galamsey but the government never mind them, including the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“Since December 2023, they have issued notices to the government to revoke the LI that allows mining in forest reserves, but the government has never minded them.

“Organised Labour comes in and in less than a month, the government has issued the directives for the LI to be revoked. This is what we want. It is being achieved. Why do we go on strike?” he asked.

Prof Ransford Gyampo, hadexpressed deep frustration over how the decision was rushed, alleging that the leadership, represented by Joshua Ansah and Dr Bampoe, had already prepared a speech to suspend the strike even before the meeting commenced.

“Two of the leaders, Joshua Ansah and Dr Bampoe, came to the meeting with an already prepared speech calling for a suspension of the intended strike,” Prof Gyampo stated.

He explained that when some members raised concerns about the two leaders’ actions, they apologized, but the meeting quickly became acrimonious.

According to Prof Gyampo, the government’s latest proposals on addressing galamsey, were not substantially different from those already rejected by the union on October 7.

“We responded that the interventions were not different in substance from the ones we discussed and rejected at our meeting on Monday, 7th October,” Gyampo noted, adding that Organized Labour members had suggested placing a temporary moratorium on mining to allow for further dialogue on practical solutions.

However, Prof Gyampo claimed that leadership dismissed these concerns without proper deliberation.

“Before we could make further suggestions, they called in the media and read their already prepared speech to them. The meeting was rancorous and acrimonious. It ended in disunity,” he said.

In light of the unresolved issues, Prof Gyampo indicated that the National Executive Council (NEC) of UG-UTAG has scheduled to meet tonight Wednesday to discuss the next steps.

He emphasized that UG-UTAG has played a critical role in the fight against illegal mining and signaled the possibility of the association continuing its push for concrete action despite the suspended strike.

The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners has in collaboration with the military, intensified efforts to combat illegal mining, particularly on water bodies, as part of the government’s broader strategy to protect the environment.

As part of this operation, 18 chanfan machines commonly used for illegal gold extractin, along with other industrial equipment, were seized and burned on the banks of the Birim River.

The military’s involvement in this anti-galamsey operation, follows the government’s recent announcement of the deployment of armed forces to clamp down on illegal mining activities, specifically in water bodies, under the enhanced “Operation Halt” initiative.

The Birim River, a critical water source, has suffered extensive pollution due to the illegal activities of miners, prompting swift action by the authorities.

The military-led task force made its first stop at Anyinam, in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region, a known hotspot for illegal mining.

Although the operation aims to crack down on galamsey operations in the area, reports suggest that several miners fled after receiving a tip-off, temporarily halting their activities before the arrival of the task force.

While it is unclear when the exercise will conclude, the destruction of illegal mining equipment marks a significant step toward restoring the Birim River and curbing further environmental degradation.

The collaboration between the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners and the military is seen as a critical move in addressing the illegal mining menace, which has severely impacted Ghana’s water bodies and ecosystems.

Col. Eric Tenadu, Commander of the Operation Halt Task Force, has announced that the military will remain stationed around the Birim River and other targeted areas for the next two weeks as part of the first phase of the operation against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey.

Col. Tenadu, expressed optimism that the operation would lead to a significant improvement in the condition of water bodies affected by illegal mining, stating, “We are launching this operation to make sure that we clear our water bodies. Whether registered or unregistered, we don’t care, our concern is the water body, so far as you are close to the water body, you are our target.”

He added, “We are confident that the water bodies will start to regain their natural state.” He emphasized that restoring these vital water sources, which have been severely polluted by galamsey activities, is a key objective of the task force.

The Operation Halt crackdown, follows massive public pressure, spurred by consistent media coverage and advocacy from several civil society organizations (CSOs) demanding urgent government action. Media outlets and CSOs have been vocal about the environmental devastation caused by galamsey, calling for more stringent enforcement and protection of Ghana’s natural resources.

This mounting pressure compelled the government to deploy additional military forces to tackle the illegal mining crisis, beginning with hotspot areas like the Eastern Region.

The presence of military personnel for the two-week period aims to not only halt ongoing illegal mining activities but also prevent miners from resuming operations.

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