A former Minister of Trade, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Gabrah, has alleged that money played a significant role in influencing the decision of Organised Labour to cancel its planned nationwide strike.
In an interview on Adom FM’s Burning Issues, monitored by GhanaWeb on October 10, 2024, he emphasised that financial considerations in labour negotiations in the country cannot be overstated.
“During such moments, you cannot overlook the impact of financial considerations on decision-making. Money plays a critical role in all human interventions, whether before a strike, after a strike or even after a strike.
“At different stages of the negotiation process, you cannot rule out the role money plays. Money played a critical role in the decision of Organised Labour to suspend their strike action. It influenced their decision at different stages,” he asserted.
On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Organised Labour made a U-turn on a planned nationwide strike over illegal mining, popularly called galamsey.
The strike was intended to compel the government to take immediate action on the impact of the harmful effects of galamsey on the environment, particularly the pollution of water bodies, and to revoke Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which allows mining in forest reserves.
Moments before the intended strike was called off, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo reaffirmed his commitment to the fight against illegal mining by directing the deployment of additional military forces to intensify the ongoing “Operation Halt” to curb the menace.
JKB/AE
Source: ghanaweb