Organised Labour Dissenters Threaten To Sue Over Union's 'Unlawful' Galamsey Strike

• Some dissenters within Organised Labour have opposed the union's decision to embark on an industrial action
• The group claims the calls for a nationwide strike is politically motivated and unreasonable
• They have threatened to sue Organised labour should the strike proceed on October 10, 2024

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Some dissenting members of Organised Labour have threatened to sue the union should it proceed with its industrial action on October 10, 2024.

Organised labour has declared it will go on strike on October 10 to protest the illegal mining menace commonly known as galamsey and the government’s seemingly nonchalant posture in addressing the pressing issue.

However, groups from within Organised Labour have resisted the union’s calls for a nationwide strike.

According to Dr Sampson Anomah, a senior lecturer at the Kumasi Technical University, the leadership of Organised Labour has failed to properly engage members regarding whether or not to go on strike.

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He said the lack of engagement and consultation thus brings to question the legality of the strike declaration.

In an interview on JoyNews on October 8, 2024, Dr Anomah alleged that the declaration of the industrial action and the lack of consultation suggests that the strike is politically motivated.

He said he and other dissenters are prepared to sue Organised Labour over its strike declaration.

“We have already planned our legal action. We will not sit down and let them take us for a ride and mix politics with this galamsey issue,” he said.

He further argued that the issue of illegal mining is too complex and too politicised to be rushed.

He explained that with the national election just around the corner, it is unreasonable for the union to demand the government resolve the issue within the remaining period.

According to him, the recent interest in galamsey, despite the menace being in existence for years, buttresses his point that those pushing for a nationwide strike have a political ulterior motive.

He said that, under the current circumstances, any action taken by the government would be drastic and reckless and cause chaos rather than solve the problem.

"We don’t want to see a situation where a hasty decision is taken and innocent people suffer,” he said.

GMA withdraws from strike

Meanwhile, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) said that while it stands in solidarity with organised labour in its fight against galamsey, it cannot join the October 10 strike.

It explained that it had not planned any roadmap for industrial action, hence its decision to abstain from the strike.

The Association urged all its members not to embark on the strike and report to work without interruption.

GMA president faces impeachment

YEN.com.gh reported that the Ghana Medical Association has been petitioned to impeach its president, Dr Frank Serebour.

The petition follows a directive signed by Dr Serebour exempting the GMA from the October 10 organised labour strike.

The petitioner argues that the president's directive was unilateral and did not follow due process

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Source: YEN.com.gh