Former workers of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine on Wednesday, December 10, massed up at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission in Accra to demand payment of their long-overdue benefits.
Wearing red and black and chanting protest songs, the angry workers called on the government to immediately intervene and ensure they receive the entitlements owed them after years of uncertainty.
The group, made up of scores of ex-workers, said the situation has dragged on since their disengagement from the mine, which has struggled with several ownership changes and what the workers describe as poor financial management by the current operator, Health Goldfields (HGF).
A petition addressed to the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, was received by an official of the ministry.
The document stressed two main demands: full payment of outstanding benefits and the replacement of the mine’s operator with a more financially stable company.
According to the workers, the unpaid benefits include provident fund arrears, end-of-service pay, redundancy packages, accrued leave, bonuses and other statutory entitlements.
Many of the affected workers have been without income for months.
The union’s convenor, Gabriel Madobi, said some former employees have died without receiving what is legally due them, leaving their families in hardship.
He added that elderly and unwell workers who spent decades at the mine now live in difficult conditions.
The union blames the crisis on the mine’s turbulent recent history.
After years under Golden Star Resources, the mine moved to Future Global Resources before being sold to Health Goldfields Limited (HGL).
The workers claim HGL has not demonstrated the financial capacity needed to run the mine or pay outstanding benefits, resulting in repeated disputes and operational shutdowns.
They want government to step in and ensure a competent investor takes over to protect the mine and the community that depends on it.
Officials at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission have not yet commented on the protest.
However, the workers say they will continue to push until their grievances are addressed.
By: Jacob Aggrey
