Organized Labour has urged the President to take swift action and declare a State of Emergency, as stipulated in Articles 31 and 31(4) of the 1992 Constitution.
Organized Labour indicated that this declaration should include an immediate halt to all mining activities, both legal and illegal, in forest reserves and around water bodies.
Organized Labour called on the government to issue an immediate order for the evacuation of all mining equipment from forest reserves and areas surrounding water bodies.
Organized Labour urged the government should also deploy the Police and Military to remove and destroy all mining and earth-moving equipment found in these areas, effectively putting an end to illegal mining activities.
“[The declaration should include] The immediate revocation of LI2462 and withdrawal of all licenses that have been granted for prospecting and mining in forest and protected reserves and also around water bodies. Establish a special Court to prosecute the perpetrators of this horrible crime”.
Organized Labour
Organized Labour warned that it will launch a series of protests and a nationwide strike by the end of September 2024 if the government fails to heed their demands and address the pressing issues.
Labour also invited all concerned citizens to join forces with them in this fight against the menace of illegal mining, urging collective action to bring about change.
“Today, September 11, 2024, the leadership of Organised Labour met to discuss the growing menace of illegal mining and the dangers it poses to the Ghanaian society”.
“Organized Labour has followed the ongoing spirited public discussions on illegal mining (Galamsey) and its consequential destruction of our forest cover, water bodies, and ecology, health hazards severe health risks posed to communities living near galamsey sites, such as exposure to toxic chemicals like mercury and cyanide, including an increase in respiratory and waterborne diseases due to polluted air and water, among other negative impacts”.
Organized Labour
Galamsey Reaches Crisis Point
Organized Labour emphasized that the galamsey menace has now reached a critical point, a fact evident not only to them but to all concerned Ghanaians.
Organized Labour stated that the country is witnessing an alarming rate of deforestation, an unprecedented destruction of water bodies, and a precarious threat to its entire ecosystem, all of which demand immediate attention and action.
“In a recent statement, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) indicated its inability to produce the required volumes of water for the people of Cape Coast and Elmina primarily because of the heavy pollution of the River Pra from activities of illegal mining”.
“In 2022, the GWCL shutdown its water treatment plant in Kyebi because ‘the Birim River from which water is pumped for treatment to the township and its environs has been heavily polluted due to the operations of illegal miners’. The cost of treating water has gone up by about tenfold according to GWCL. Ghana risk importing water for household and industrial consumption”.
Organized Labour
Organized Labour further emphasized that the staggering visuals of severely polluted and discolored water bodies, as evidenced by the numerous videos and photos circulating, are deeply disturbing and warrant urgent attention.
Labour highlighted the heart-wrenching reality of illegal mining, pointing to the devastating visuals of lifeless bodies of young individuals being retrieved from galamsey pits with alarming frequency, a stark reminder of the dire consequences of this menace.
Organized Labour warned that the encroachment of mining activities onto agricultural lands poses a escalating threat to Ghana’s food security, as the increasing appropriation of fertile land for mining purposes compromises the country’s ability to produce sufficient food.
Labour expressed concern that the reckless use of chemicals in mining operations is not only degrading agricultural land but also compromising food safety, as toxic residues find their way into the food chain, imperiling the well-being of consumers.
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