Some residents in Tema and Nungua have called on?organised labour to stand firm in their decision to?embark on an industrial strike despite President Nana Akufo-Addo’s appeal to postpone it.?

They said the government had had ample time to address the concerns of Ghanaians but failed to effectively address the issue despite repeated promises and calls for?action.

They told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that galamsey had plagued Ghana for years, causing widespread environmental degradation, water pollution, and economic losses, as well as?destruction of agricultural lands, forests, and water bodies, threatening the livelihoods of local communities.

The residents stated that the President had broken the promise he made to fight galamsey, stressing that the government’s inability to enforce laws and regulations had revived illegal mining activities, allowing the practice to continue unchecked.

Some said they were fed up with the government’s inaction, stressing that the president’s priorities w
ere misplaced, as according to them the president was more concerned with averting a strike than addressing a critical issue like galamsey.

Mr Kwame Attoh, a civil servant, said, ‘We’re demanding a decisive action from the government; the President must enforce the laws and regulations to prevent galamsey and also find alternative livelihoods for the people engaged in galamsey.’

‘We need to protect the environment and our natural resources; we cannot risk our lives because of the selfish gains of some politicians. I am pleading with the labour unions not to bow to the appeal of the President; the strike is long overdue,’ he further said.

Ms Eunice Teye, a midwife, stated, ‘If not because organised labour declared the strike, would the president have responded to the various calls from Ghanaians. This is the time Ghanaians must let politicians know that Ghana existed before they came into power, and their temporal position would not put the citizens at risk.’

Mr Daniel Antwi, a shoe dealer, stated that org
anised labour must focus on the mining companies that are illegally destroying the country, as there are some that are mining in accordance with the law.

He added that there should not be a total ban on mining but rather it should be properly regulated as most people depend on it for their livelihood; therefore, declaring a state of emergency in all mining companies would have an impact on them.

Source: Ghana News Agency