About 200 workers of mining firm, Goldfields Ghana are set to be laid off before the end of June.

According to management, the move has been influenced by the rising cost of production which has been compounded by the energy crisis, challenging business environment and the marginal hikes in utility tariffs.

The recent layoffs could bring the total number of retrenched Goldfields workers to about 700.

Some 500 workers had been already laid off between the end of last year and early this year.

Country manager at Goldfields Ghana, Alfred Baku told Joy Business, the marginal  hikes in utility tariffs announced yesterday could worsen the situation in the coming months.

Although Alfred Baku acknowledges that the situation might put a lot of burden on the families of the workers, keeping them at post will affect the company’s productivity.

Earlier this month, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company laid off over 250 of its employees as part of efforts to keep it in business.

The Company attributed the layoffs to the current power crisis and the worsening effect on its operations.

In a related development Chief Executive the Chamber of Mines, Suleman Koney says they are  engaging  the mining firms  to look at cutting back on other areas rather than just  resorting  to layoffs.

Another mining firm Newmont is currently negotiating the collective bargaining agreement with its workers.