Ghana Mineworkers Union is planning to go on a strike to protest against Gold Fields Ltd.'s plan to lay off about 2,000 workers from the Tarkwa gold mine, GhanaWeb reported March 5.
The company said in December 2017 that its Ghanaian subsidiary plans to lay off 1,500 workers who will be replaced by contract workers to operate the Tarkwa mine from early 2018.
The Union's General Secretary Prince William Ankrah said that a lack of concern by the government looks as if it is supporting the decision. The Labour Division of the Accra High Court dismissed on March 2 a motion by the union for an injunction against the layoffs.
According to Ankrah, soon after the court order the company's management started forcing workers to sign redundancy letters. The union is now waiting on a decision from the Appeal Court to put a stay on execution of the High Court decision and stop the redundancy exercise.
