Organised Labour has strongly denied accusations that its leadership was financially influenced by the government, following its decision to cancel a nationwide strike scheduled for October 10. The strike was planned as a protest against the government’s perceived lack of action in curbing illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.
Critics have alleged that the cancellation was a result of backdoor financial deals with the government. However, King Ali Awudu, president of the Coalition of Concern Teachers (CCT) and a prominent member of Organised Labour, dismissed the allegations as unfounded. He asserted that the decision to call off the strike was driven solely by the tangible progress achieved through their negotiations with the government.
Awudu explained that Organised Labour had pushed the government to take significant steps, including a commitment to revoke the Legislative Instrument (LI) that permits mining in forest reserves, within a month. “Organised Labour came in, and in less than a month, the government has issued directives to revoke the LI. This is what we wanted. Why should we go on strike?” he questioned.
He pointed out that other organizations, such as the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, had also urged the government to revoke the LI since December 2023, without success. It was only after Organised Labour intervened that the government made meaningful progress.
Awudu stressed that the accusations of bribery were simply a tactic used by critics who disagreed with the decision to cancel the strike. He reiterated that the movement’s focus remained on achieving concrete results through negotiation, rather than any external financial influence.
The leadership of Organised Labour remains steadfast in its commitment to hold the government accountable in addressing illegal mining, while emphasizing that its actions were purely in the interest of the nation.