The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union
(GMWU) has accused an Israeli mining contracting firm, Pollution to Water
(P2W), of flouting the country’s labour laws with impunity.
A statement by Eric K. Gyima,
Deputy General Secretary of the Union, says the company has for a year now
resisted attempts by its workers to unionise in line with provisions of the
Labour Act 2003(Act 651).
“Workers of P2W have used
legitimate means to unionise, but the management of that company has
persistently and arrogantly put impediments in the efforts of the workers to
exercise their fundamental right to unionize”, it said.
The company employs a
technology that treats polluted water and recycles it back to the mines for mining
operations. It currently has offices in Obuasi, Tarkwa and Bogoso.
“While the GMWU lauds P2W for
introducing such an important technology into the mining sector, it does not
mean that the management should disregard the country’s labour law which seeks
to ensure that there is industrial harmony”, said the Union.
Mr.
Gyima tells Luv News some workers have lost their jobs unfairly.
The GMWU is demanding that the
relevant state institutions, including the Chief Labour Officer, the National
Labour Commission and the National Security Council, to take decisive action in
enforcing the provision of the labour law especially, those relating to
unionization by Ghanaian workers particularly in the mining sector.
“The GMWU would like to
indicate that the anti-union posture by the management of P2W has the potential
to degenerate into an unpleasant labour agitation by the workers. This
obviously will not auger well for an otherwise harmonious and stable industrial
relations in the mining sector”.
The Union has indicated its
readiness “to employ and deploy every means available including strikes actions
to compel the company to respect the workers fundamental right to unionise”.
Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh
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