Goldfields ‘Intimidating’ Its Staff with Military Backing – Mineworkers

The Ghana Mine workers Union has accused the military of emboldening Goldfields Ghana Limited to maltreat workers of the company.

His comments come on the back of the company’s move to lay off about 1,500 mine workers and re-employ them on contract basis.

In a Citi News interview, the General Secretary for the Union, Prince William Ankrah, said Goldfields was acting in a very arrogant manner because it has the backing of the military.

“…It is ruthless arrogance, its corporate arrogance and they [Goldfields] don’t care. As far as they are concerned the military people are there to support them with their nefarious deeds. They are unleashing on them a kind of relationship which is not the best,” he complained.

Background

Goldfields Ghana Limited in December 2017 announced that it will have to lay off some 1,500 workers at its Tarkwa mine over plans by the company to shift from owner mining to contract mining.

The mining firm argued that the latter is more cost efficient compared to the former practice.

But the workers complained that the move is not in their interest.

The Ghana Mine Workers’ Union however dragged Goldfields to court over the issue.

In the writ, the workers prayed the court to restrain Goldfields from going ahead with the intended redundancy exercise until all the stakeholders involved.

They also wanted the court to say that the redundancy exercise was “unlawful.”

But the court in its ruling on March 2, 2018 dismissed the injunction application.

The court presided over by Justice Laurenda Owusu, said the mining company risks losing more if the court halts the ongoing layoffs before a determination of the substantive matter on whether they acted within law.

Source: Citifmonline