The Ghana Mineworkers Union is prevailing on government to harmonize key development policies towards effectively addressing illegal mining.
According to the Union, policies such as the Minerals Development Fund, the One District-One-factory as well the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of the mining firms could be synchronized into a Public-Private-Partnership arrangement could better the development agenda of mining communities.
This, it believes is critical if government’s clamp down on illegal mining popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’ is to achieve the desired results.
The General Secretary, Prince William Ankrah, explained this is tied to the need for government to prioritize the provision of alternative economic livelihood programmes in the communities worst affected by menace.
He was addressing the Union’s mid-year National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at New Abirem in the Eastern Region from August 31 to September 1.
“It is an undeniable fact that the activity chain of illegal mining provides short-lived benefits to most of the host communities. Therefore, the current ban will undoubtedly place an untold hardship on these illegal miners with potential social consequences on their communities and the nation at large.
“We, therefore, believe that with proper policy coherence, the stakeholders could build new paradigm of economic activities that would transcend mining,” he said.
“In line with this, we want to commend Government for prioritizing the Abboso Glass Factory and Bonsa Tyre factory under its one-district-on-factory industrialization programme which are both located within mining enclaves whilst many other economically viable buffer enterprises are exploited as part of the broader gold rush agenda. The President did raise the need to have a gold refinery in the Tarkwa area and we look forward to seeing it happen” he noted.
The union also called on the government and AngloGold Ashanti to speed up their conversation targeted at reopening the Mine in order to create employment opportunities and boost the country’s revenue from mining.
“The developments in AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine continues to be a major source of worry to all industry stakeholders given the contribution of this critical state asset to the socio-economic development of our nation in the past.
The potential to create employment for the teeming unemployed masses as a more sustainable strategy to eliminating galamsey and its consequences on our nation cannot be under estimated”
It also came to light at the NEC meeting that more than 85% of the union’s membership receive a basic salary above US$500.00 with a positive multiplier effect on most of the cafeteria benefits like PF, SSNIT, overtime, rent etc.
This, the Union attributes to its flagship strategy dubbed “Agenda $500” backed by the dollar indexation arrangement.
The Union set the agenda six years ago and has not only achieved but surpassed it by a whopping $200.00 or extra 40% growth on the ‘Agenda $500’ target as the minimum salary in some of the companies has transcended $700.00.