Organised labour hints at strike action against galamsey

Organised Labour has hinted of a nationwide strike and demonstrations if the Government fails to address its concerns over galamsey and its devastating effects by the end of September.Organised Labour hints at the strike action stem from its study of the menace and a recent concern raised by the Ghana Water Company Limited of its inability to produce the required volumes of water for residents of Cape Coast and Elmina due to the heavily polluted River Pra as a result of galamsey.In a press statement signed by Mr. Joshua Ansah, Secretary General, Trade Union Congress, organised labour demanded the President to immediately declare a state of emergency in line with the provisions of the constitution.The statement said the Union demanded the immediate evacuation of all mining equipment in the forest reserves and around the water bodies.It also demanded the deployment of security personnel, notably the military, to remove and destroy all mining equipment and other earth-moving equipment around the water b odies.The Union also demanded the revocation of Legislative Instrument (LI 2462) and the withdrawal of all licenses granted as a result.It also called for the creation of a special court to prosecute the perpetrators of illegal mining.The unions emphasised that it was now clear to all well-meaning Ghanaians that the menace of illegal mining has reached a crisis point.It stressed that the depletion of Ghana's forest cover had never been this rapid, noting that the destruction of water bodies was at an unprecedented scale.Source: Ghana News Agency