The Responsible Small-Scale Miners Association of Ghana has notified the Ghana Police Service of its plans to stage a protest on Friday, October 11.
The protest is in response to Organised Labour’s strike, which is pushing for a ban on small-scale mining as part of the ongoing fight against illegal mining, known as galamsey.
The association acknowledges the environmental damage caused by some illegal miners but believes that Organised Labour’s strike is politically motivated and not a viable solution to the issue.
They argue that targeting the entire small-scale mining sector is unfair, as many miners operate legally and responsibly.
Speaking to Citi FM on Tuesday, October 8, the General Secretary of the Responsible Small-Scale Miners Association, Mark Conduah, voiced the group's concerns.
He stressed that while illegal mining is problematic, the strike threatens the livelihoods of legal miners who follow regulations.
The association remains firm in its opposition to any attempts to undermine the legal small-scale mining sector, which provides a source of livelihood for many Ghanaians.
They plan to use the protest to highlight their stance and call for a more balanced approach in addressing the galamsey problem.
“We have also communicated our minds to Organised Labour and they are not willing to listen to us. So we are also coming out in our numbers to demonstrate against Organised Labour that they are not more Ghanaians than us so they cannot take away our livelihoods."
“So we are going to demonstrate. We are going to show them that if they are working and earning their livelihoods from the government payrolls, we also deserve to mine and mine responsibly and earn a decent living out of mining."
“We are converging in Accra and there is going to be a massive demonstration against Organised Labour.”
Credit: myjoyonline.com