Workers in Ghana’s mining sector are urging government to urgently review and strengthen labour laws to better protect employees, amid growing concerns over unsafe working conditions and rising job insecurity.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU), Abdul-Moomin Gbana, says current labour regulations no longer reflect the realities of modern mining operations.

Speaking to Joy Business on expectations for the year, Mr Gbana said meaningful improvements in working conditions will remain elusive without deliberate reforms to the country’s labour framework.

“As a union, we have drummed up the issue of labour law and, for that matter, our legislation in this country. In other dispensations, nobody is going to take this temporary employment at all, and it all comes down to government employment policy. It boils down to our labour laws. We have relatively weak labour legislation,” he said.

According to him, gaps in the law have left many mineworkers exposed, especially as the increasing reliance on contract and temporary employment has weakened job security and limited access to adequate worker protections.

Mr Gbana said a comprehensive review of labour legislation is critical to safeguarding workers’ rights, improving safety standards and restoring fairness in employer-employee relations across the mining sector.

“So, if you look at it contextually, from a legislative point of view, we have serious issues we are grappling with. Once the law is weak and gives employers the opportunity to do what they are doing, it becomes quite problematic.

"It’s important that government titans, working with their social actors, try and improve on the current state of the law so that we can guarantee greater employment protection for workers,” he said.

The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union is therefore calling on government and key stakeholders to prioritise labour law reforms as part of broader efforts to promote decent work and sustainable growth in the mining industry.