Galamsey strike: Don’t rush into solving a problem – Akpaloo tells Organised Labour

The flagbearer of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Kofi Akpaloo, has called on Organised Labour to reconsider its planned nationwide strike which is set to start on Thursday, October 10, 2024.

The leadership of Organised Labour declared the October 10 indefinite strike date after the government failed to meet its demands for a ban on illegal mining, commonly called galamsey.

Organized Labour expressed disappointment over the government’s efforts to address the menace and its environmental impact, demanding a declaration of a state of emergency, the revocation of L.I. 2462, and the deployment of the military to forest areas and water bodies to curb the ongoing destructions.

In an interview with Citi News, Kofi Akpaloo highlighted the poor timing of the strike, given the upcoming elections, and urged the labour unions to engage in dialogue with the government to find a resolution, rather than taking drastic actions.

“Two months to an election and you are leading this, then it means you just want the government to go. That is all. I want to be president, but I don’t want to be president in that way. I want to be president by having a positive mentality.

“I want to have peace of mind to rule, to deliver. I don’t want a situation in which I want to see somebody going down and then I benefit from the person going down. No, I don’t want.

“…forget about this strike action or whatever, suspend it. After the election, if you want to solve the problem, we solve the problem. But if you go on strike for let’s say two weeks and then the government says, okay, I am sending an army to go ahead [to tackle galamsey] and then after that they [illegal miners] go back, what are you going to do? Don’t rush into solving a problem, you have to sit down.”