Scores of irate members of the Former Workers of Bogoso-Prestea Mines Union staged a massive protest in Accra today, Wednesday, December 10, picketing at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission.

Clad in defiant red and black attire, the workers wielded placards and chanted songs amid shouts, demanding immediate government intervention to secure their long-overdue financial entitlements.

The protest is fuelled by years of distress and failed promises following the disengagement of workers from the mine, a situation exacerbated by what the union claims is the current operator’s financial incapacity.

The group presented a petition to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, received by a representative from the ministry, to intensify their demands.

The Dual Demand: Payment and Competent Management

The workers’ grievances are sharply focused on two interconnected issues: securing full payment of outstanding benefits and forcing the government to replace the current operator, Health Gold Fields (HGF), with a financially capable entity to restore the troubled Bogoso-Prestea mine.

The union’s leadership, speaking to MyJoyOnline today, reiterated that the outstanding payments represent the "entire financial safety net for the former workers and their families".

Gabriel Madobi, Convenor of the Former Workers of the Bogoso Prestea Mines Union, recounted the broken promise.

The unpaid entitlements, stemming from the turbulent transition of ownership, are not limited to severance but include a range of critical final payments:

• Provident Fund contributions and arrears
• End-of-service benefits
• Redundancy and severance compensation
• Accrued leave and annual bonuses
• Other statutory and contractual benefits

The group stated in their petition that hundreds of affected workers have been without income for months, unable to provide food, education, and healthcare for their families.

Several workers have sadly passed away without receiving their lawful benefits, leaving widows, orphans, and dependants in distress.

Elderly and medically unfit workers who devoted decades of their lives to the mine now live in poverty and indignity, the petition elaborated.

The Tumultuous History: HGF, FGR, and Financial Distress

The current crisis has deep roots in the recent history of the mine, which has seen repeated ownership changes leading to unstable operations and employment.

1. Golden Star Resources Era: The mine was successfully operated by Golden Star Resources (GSR) for many years.
2. Heath Goldfields Limited (HGL) Acquisition: The mine was later sold to Heath Goldfields Limited (HGL) after years of operations by Future Global Resources (FGR). It was during this transaction and transition period that significant operational changes were initiated, leading to the disengagement and redundancy of many workers.
3. Heath Goldfields’ Financial Woes: The workers allege that HGL, the current operator, has proven financially incapable of managing the extensive underground and surface operations, leading to recurrent labour disputes, operational shutdowns, and most critically, the failure to meet its financial obligations to the laid-off staff.

The protesting workers are demanding that the government "uphold its duty to ensure full payment of entitlements to disengaged workers". They called on "the government to engage a financially capable entity in restoring the Prestea-Bogoso mine."

The workers assert that HGL’s inability to inject adequate capital has accelerated the deterioration of the mine’s assets, jeopardising the long-term viability of the community, which depends heavily on the mine’s operations.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission are yet to issue an official statement regarding the protest, but the union’s action is expected to force immediate, high-level engagement to address the persistent financial and operational crises at one of Ghana’s oldest and most consequential gold mines.