Owere mine workers to picket Lands Ministry

Workers of Owere Mines at Konongo in the Ashanti Region have said they will picket at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources today [Tuesday].

This is to protest a nineteen-month period of unpaid salaries for about 50 staff.

The Branch Secretary of the Ghana Mines Workers Union Francis Owusu, told Citi News that the staff is owed to the tune of $2 million.

According to him, all efforts to reach the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources to get him to address the plight have proven futile.

He said their protest is to get definite answers from the Minister as well as stakeholders in the mining sector on the matter.

“We are coming to picket in Accra because we sent a petition to the minister of lands and natural resources in April with regards to our unpaid salaries for almost 19 months and illegal mining activities which is ongoing here.  As we speak, we've not had any positive response from the ministry or any stakeholders. We are coming to demand answers from them,” he said.

The Owere Mines cover about 125 kilometers square of land.

The mine ceased operations some three years ago due to lack of investment funds for exploration.

Despite the campaign against illegal mining, workers at the Mine say illegal miners have invaded the site and carrying out the illegality.

In April 2017, Ghana Mines Workers’ Union at the Mines accused some directors of the Konongo Mines in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of ceding some parts of the company's mining concession to illegal miners.

In a letter addressed to the Minister, they alleged that the some of the directors were also conniving with some military personnel in the area to perpetuate the illegality.

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By: Caleb Kudah/citifmonloine.com/Ghana