Frank Bannor, Head of Research at policy think tank, Danquah Institute, has taken a swipe at Organized Labour over their threat to embark on nationwide strike regarding the galamsey menace.
Organized Labour issued an ultimatum to government to take action to stop illegal mining, commonly called "galamsey", but their decision has been met with fierce opposition.
The strike by Organized labour which is scheduled to take place from October 10, 2024 has been met with numerous appeals from both government and some individuals who opine that this is not the best approach to fight galamsey.
The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) has joined the calls for Organized Labour to call off their strike but continue to engage government to find lasting solution to this canker.
“Illegal mining or galamsey is an illegality and there are sanctions prescribed under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006(703) as amended. Government should through its agencies enforce these laws”, General Secretary of GNASSM remarked.
Commenting during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, Frank Bannor described the position of Organized Labour on the galamsey as "hypocrisy".
He asked why they are now so eagerly compelling the President to take action but were silent when he (President Akufo-Addo) put his Presidency on line and tasked the Military to aggressively deal with this menace.
"When the President put his job on the line to fight galamsey, what did Organized Labour say about it? Could they come out to issue a statement in solidarity with the President saying we fully support you and that any person who will say anything contrary to what the President is saying, Ghanaians must punish such a person? Did Organized Labour say something like this?", he queried.
He further slammed Organized Labour stating "indeed, if Organized Labour meant well, at this critical moment shouldn't have been the time for Organized Labour to rise. They should have acted in 2021 or 2020 when the President said he has put his job on the line and tasked the Military to stop the galamsey. This is the period that Organized Labour should have risen".
"So, this also exposes the hypocrisy on the part of organized labour. Hypocrisy because we had a period where the President placed his job on the line but his main opponents were at the galamsey sites claiming these people don't like you, that is why they want to eject you in order to starve them. What did Organized Labour say about this statement if they really cared about the welfare of Ghana and Ghanaians?", he added.
0