Workers of the Newmont Akyem
Gold Mining Company are planning an indefinite strike to back
their demand for immediate increment in their salaries and
allowances.
The workers say there is a stalemate between Newmont Ghana Gold
Limited and Ghana Mine Workers Union over a protracted salary and
the collective bargaining agreement review, which started in
February 2014.
However, a representative of the Management told the GNA that
they were willing to negotiate a deal in the mutual interest of
all stakeholders.
The National Chairman of the Ghana Mine Workers? Union, Mr
Kwarko Mensah Gyakari, addressing a media conference, organised by
the workers of the Newmont Akyem Project, at New Abirim, appealed
to the leadership of the Union to permit them to embark on an
industrial action.
He said the Management of Newmont Akyem Project had refused
to sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreed upon at the
end of their negotiation last year.
He said both parties agreed on a 10 per cent salary increase
for 2014 and 4.6 per cent for this year, including rent, leave
travels subsidy and the workers? children school fees allowances,
but the mining company had failed to implement them to relieve the
workers from numerous hardships they were facing.
Mr Gyakari said, the workers of the Newmont Akyem Project were
the lowest paid mining workers in the country.
He advised the workers to be patient as the union would soon
give the go ahead to embark on their industrial action to back
their demand if all efforts failed to materialise on their salary
review agreement.
The workers urged the leadership of the union to allow the
Management of Newmont Akyem Project to implement the ?Agenda 500?
where the least paid staff of the company should not earn less
than 500 dollars in cedi equivalent month.
When the management of Newmont Akyem Project was contacted, the
External Relations Manager of the Company, Mr Oduro Kwarteng-
Marfo, said Newmont Ghana was calling for cooperation from their
employees and the Ghana Mine Workers Union to help reach a
mutually beneficial, equitable and economically sustainable labour
agreement.
He said the mining company was willing to continue
negotiations with the union to protect the interest of the workers
through the long term sustainable operations and creation of
shared values for all their stakeholders.
Mr Oduro stated that, despite the challenging conditions
facing mining companies in the country , it was the company?s
desire to conclude the negotiations as soon as possible to enable
the company to focus on safely managing the business and
sustaining the livelihoods of the employees and the host
communities.
GNA
