‘They will pay back through their nose if…’ – Amoako Baah on Organised Labour’s suspected bribery

Dr. Richard Baah Amoako, a former Head of the Political Science Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUS), has expressed disappointment with Organised Labour for backing down on its intended strike.

He suspects leadership of the group might have taken a bribe to change their decision overnight, after it had assured the entire citizenry that it was going to strike for the government to act on illegal mining.

Speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3 Wednesday, October 09, 2024, the senior lecturer at the KNUST noted “I’m not saying that’s what happened. I hope they were not bribed. But if they were, I can assure you, they will pay back through their nose. I can assure you. It’s not going to stand.”

He added that “they may as well get some shovels and do galamsey themselves. A great disappointment, a great let down and injustice. It’s all about money, nothing else. Let’s see what happen in the coming days.”

The founding member of the NPP and former National Chair aspirant maintained that if a mouthwatering offer was made, he would not be surprised that the leadership would take it.

“If the money is big enough, somebody will take it. I hope it didn’t happen, I hope that’s not what we are talking about. But I won’t be very surprised at all that that’s what has happened. They have let down the whole country. With all the talk and all the anticipation, this is what they’ve done. They have to come and explain what they had in mind,” he stated.

“I hope they didn’t take the bribe, I hope they were not bribed but if they were, this one, will be the last one they ever took,” he reiterated.

Organised Labour, on Wednesday, October 09, suspended its planned nationwide strike, which was scheduled for Thursday October 10, 2024.

The protest was against illegal mining commonly known as ‘galamsey’ which has destroyed forest reserves and polluted water bodies.

According to Organised Labour, it is now pleased with the government’s supposed enhanced and time bound measures in respect of demands by the labour unions to fight the menace.

The decision was taken after a meeting between government, leaders of Organised Labour and the Ghana Employers Association on Tuesday, October 8.

The Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, announced the suspension on Wednesday, October 9 at a press conference and said the concessions offered by the government was “significant” to the demands of Organised Labour.

He said Organised Labour “will keenly monitor the implementation measures by the government and government will hear from us if it fails to do the needful.”

This suspension comes just days after Organised Labour had signaled its intent to proceed with the strike, expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s earlier efforts to address the menace.

The measures based on which Organised Labour agreed to suspend the nationwide strike are revocation of the mining in forest reserves Regulation of 2023 (L.I. 2642).

Another one is the directive by the President for the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources to submit a memorandum for the revocation of the Regulation to Parliament when it reconvenes on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

Source:onuaonline.com