Newmont Gold workers threaten strike action

The mine workers of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited have threatened to lay-down their tools because of what they describe ‘as management’s inertia and intransigence posturing towards the 2014 negotiations.’

The Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU), acting on behalf of the workers, has, therefore, written to the Management of the Newmont saying:“Our apprehension is further heightened by the protracted and the positional bargaining stance adopted by Management ostensibly to unduly delay and frustrate the negotiations for our Branch & PMS (Professional and Managerial Staff)  Unions.”

The letter, addressed to the Vice President of the Human Resources of Newmont, was signed by Mr Prince William Ankrah, the General Secretary of the GMWU.

The mother union gave the notice on Friday March 13, 2015 to the Management of Newmont in line with Section 159 of the Labour Act 2003, (Act 651).

Mr Ankrah told the GNA in an interview later that within seven days from Friday March 13, if nothing favourable happened, the workers would begin the strike.

The letter stated that the management of Newmont’s posture could no longer be entertained because the worker’s patience had been over-stretched since October last year.

“The monotonous, and what in our view, amounts to elementary negotiations style where Management keeps emphasizing its preferred approach to concluding a deal is indeed astonishing,” it said.

The GMWU told the Management of the prestigious mining company that that there was no logic in prioritizing a framework for future negotiations whilst the substantive monetary issues for 2014/15 negotiations for their PMS and Branch Unions had not been achieved.

The letter was copied to the National Labour Commission and other relevant stakeholders.

Source: GNA