A tweet from an X user has sparked discussion regarding the recent suspension of a planned strike by Organized Labour.
The user remarked, “The way these Organized Labour are jubilating and shaking hands after suspending the strike makes me wonder if the bribe allegations are true, as it seems their stomachs are full.”
The strike aimed to pressure the government to take decisive action against the environmental destruction linked to small-scale mining and to revoke Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves.
At a news conference in Accra yesterday, Organised Labour said it had taken into consideration the effort by government to address concerns raised by labour unions in relation to the illegal mining menace, commonly called “galamsey” in local circles.
Indeed, government last Monday announced a raft of measures, including a presidential order to deploy the military to ward off miners from rivers, forest reserves and other environmentally inappropriate areas.
The measures also included specific onslaught on illegal miners, who are considered the biggest danger to the wreckage being visited on the environment and the entire ecosystem.
The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, briefing the media, said the decision followed assurances from the government in relation to efforts to tackle galamsey and other environmentally destructive mining activities in the country.
Just before the strike was called off, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo reaffirmed his commitment to combating illegal mining. He announced the deployment of additional military forces for “Operation Halt” and the introduction of naval boats to patrol polluted rivers.
The President also instructed the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to suspend enforcement of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2462) immediately.
The way these Organized Labour are jubilating and shaking hands after suspending the strike makes me wonder if the bribe allegations are true cos is like their stomach is full. pic.twitter.com/IbKhncsMFg
— Sweet Israel (@SweetIsrael_) October 9, 2024
