The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has served notice that it will ramp up pressure on the government in the coming weeks to take firm and decisive action against the menace of illegal gold mining, widely known as galamsey.
Speaking during a fact-finding tour of the Birim River in the Eastern Region on Friday, October 10, TUC Secretary-General Joshua Ansah expressed grave concern about the worsening state of Ghana’s water bodies, describing galamsey as a “heinous crime” against the environment and the people.
He criticised the government’s current approach, particularly the series of stakeholder engagements with civil society organisations (CSOs), arguing that such meetings have failed to produce tangible results.
“The fight to dismantle galamsey is the government’s fight. All of us must and will support. In the next few weeks, the TUC will outline a few measures to support the fight against galamsey,” Mr Ansah stated.
He emphasised that the union’s upcoming measures will aim to “exert maximum pressure” on government and relevant agencies to act decisively.
“Government must act decisively and must act now. Galamsey must stop; enough of the meetings and advocacy and talking – we need action now,” he stressed. “The leadership of TUC will meet after this important tour and make a very decisive decision with the government on the way forward.”
Mr Ansah also identified the highly centralised land administration system as a major obstacle in the fight against galamsey.
He argued that the system sidelines traditional authorities, who could play a critical role in local enforcement and community mobilisation to curb illegal mining activities.
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