The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) has strongly opposed a reported directive requiring some of the country’s biggest mining companies, including Zijin, Newmont and AngloGold, to transition to contract mining by December 2026, warning that the move could worsen worker conditions and trigger industrial resistance.
In a letter dated April 23, 2026, and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, the union described its position as one of “irrevocable opposition,” saying it would resist any attempt to enforce the policy.
“The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union would like to state without equivocation that we disagree with the said directive and consequently reject it,” the union’s General Secretary stated in the letter.
The reported directive is said to affect major mining firms operating in Ghana, with the proposed shift expected to move some operations from direct company control to local contract mining arrangements.
According to the union, such a transition could significantly reduce workers’ wages and weaken employment protections.
“It is a fact that workers always have their wages/salaries significantly reduced, mostly by at least half of what they were earning under an owner miner for the same job,” the letter said.
The GMWU argued that contract mining has historically created more precarious jobs, reduced household incomes, lowered pension contributions and weakened retirement benefits for workers in the sector.
The union also criticised some local mining contractors, alleging repeated failures to meet statutory obligations such as SSNIT contributions, Tier 2 pensions, provident fund payments and taxes.
It specifically mentioned firms such as Engineers and Planners, BCM Ghana Limited, Rocksure and Electrochem, claiming some had developed a poor record in meeting worker-related obligations.
The union further cited a recent standoff involving workers and Engineers and Planners over unpaid statutory benefits.
By contrast, the GMWU said multinational mining firms such as Newmont, AngloGold and Zijin generally offer better conditions of service, respect workers’ rights and comply more consistently with legal obligations.
The union questioned the basis for what it described as a blanket policy, insisting there is no clear business case for forcing mining companies into that model at this time.
It has therefore called on the Minerals Commission to suspend the reported directive and begin broad stakeholder consultations involving workers, employers and regulators.
“Workers’ voices are not optional in this discourse; they are fundamental,” the union stressed.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com