ANTI- GALAMSEY STRIKE- 5 TH COLUMNISTS EMERGE ON TUC FRONT

As can be expected in any large undertaking, the betrayers from within have started working to betray the front of
labour with a few days to its intended strike action against illegal mining (galamsey).
The 5 th columnists are emerging on the front of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) regarding the upcoming strike.
The 5 th columnists are claiming that they were not consulted, and that as teachers, they are busy in the classroom
teaching.
Such excuses have not, in the past, prevented UTAG from laying down its tools for months.
Meanwhile numerous key stakeholders in organised labour have criticized the comments made by a member of the.
Following a meeting today, Dr. Solomon Forkuo expressed that he does not understand the rationale behind the
industrial action, which is set to see all public sector workers, including lecturers, lay down their tools on October
10.
The meeting by organised labour revealed that President Akufo-Addo did not show enough commitment to honoring
their demands to ban galamsey in water bodies and forest reserves among others.
However, some members of labour union have rejected the call, saying that it was not the right approach to
addressing the issue of galamsey, stressing that “you don’t use wrong to correct wrong.”
“Our views have not been taken. It’s just a few people at the top and they know what they have been taking. They
can’t make decisions for some of us. We are in academia – we are teaching and you just get up there and make a
decision that you alone are declaring a strike. You are declaring strike for what?” Dr Solomon Forkuo, Member,
UTAG and Spokesperson fumed.
He added that although not against the action, it is right to be taken for granted because they were not consulted.
Speaking on Top Story, the UTAG President of the KNUST chapter, Prof. Eric Abavare, strongly disagreed with Dr.
Forkuo's stance.
He insisted on Joy FM that his chapter was fully committed to the upcoming industrial action and described Dr.
Forkuo's position as both disappointing and surprising.
The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, echoed similar
sentiments.
This industrial action aligns with its demand for the government to crack down on illegal mining by banning all
forms of mining in forest reserves, among other measures.
"We are of the view that what the government has proposed does not adequately address our demands and therefore
our notice of strike remains unchanged," the leadership said.
On October 3, President Akufo-Addo made an appeal to Organised Labour during a meeting asking them to
reconsider the strike.
The president reassured the labour leaders of his administration's commitment to tackling the environmental
destruction caused by illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
Read Also: Akufo-Addo has pleaded with Organised Labour to call off strike – Ghana Federation of Labour
He expressed the need for unity in addressing this pressing national issue.
But at the meeting, members of organised labour resolved that government's assurance was not enough.
On the back of this, "our strike notice remains unchanged."
The demands of organised labour’s demands included declaring a state of emergency, revoking L.I. 2462, and
deploying the military to forest areas and water bodies to combat illegal mining.