Organised Labour has reaffirmed its call for an immediate end to illegal mining activities, commonly referred to as galamsey, throughout Ghana.

The group emphasised its position during a meeting held on September 17, 2024, with the ad-hoc inter-ministerial committee established by the President to tackle the illegal mining crisis.

The committee was set up to engage with various stakeholders and develop strategies to address the widespread issue of galamsey, which has caused significant environmental damage and disruption across the country.

Organised Labour remains steadfast in its demand for effective and lasting solutions to the galamsey problem.

The group has warned that if the government fails to meet their demands by the end of September, they will take actions that could be detrimental to the government's interests.

Organised Labour is resolute in its commitment to address the galamsey crisis and is prepared to escalate its response if necessary.

“Given the dire nature of the threat we face, Organised Labour made additional demands to its initial demands as follows: 1. Revocation of Forest (Cessation of Forest Reserve) (Amendment) Instrument, 2023 (Ε.Ι. 234) 2. All political parties to sign a pact on banning galamsey.”

“While the Government team accepted these proposals from Organised Labour, it requested additional time to engage other stakeholders to enable it to develop a comprehensive roadmap towards addressing the galamsey menace. This would also enable the Government to respond to the specific demands of Organised Labour in a week.”

We want to reiterate that our initial demands remain unchanged and timelines for action have not been varied and if a favourable response is not received by the end of September 2024, Organised Labour’s intended actions would be rolled out," the statement said.

The continued pressure from Organised Labour reflects growing frustration and urgency regarding the government's handling of the illegal mining issue.