GMWU petitions government over growing job insecurity in mining sector

The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has petitioned the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to urgently address what it describes as growing exploitation, precarious employment and unfair labour practices in Ghana’s mining sector.

In the petition, the General Secretary of the GMWU, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, said the mining industry was experiencing a “severe decent work deficit” despite its importance to Ghana’s economy.

The union expressed concern over the increasing use of labour brokers, fixed-term contracts, casual employment, outsourcing and contract mining, saying the practices were undermining job security, wages, social protection and workers’ rights.

“The GMWU is particularly concerned about the gradual commodification of labour by so-called labour brokers who are working in cahoot with some mining companies, especially Chinese-owned companies, for a pittance,” the petition stated.

According to the union, the problem affects not only ordinary mineworkers but also professionals such as mining engineers, geologists and metallurgists.

The GMWU also raised concerns about the growing shift from owner-mining to contract mining, saying workers performing the same or similar duties under contractors often receive significantly lower wages.

“Workers under a mining contractor 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 union alleged.

It said the reductions in wages also affect workers’ household incomes, tax payments, pension contributions and eventual retirement benefits, while other benefits enjoyed under owner-mining arrangements are often reduced or removed.

The union further claimed that more than 90 per cent of workers in the mining sector were engaged in fixed-term or casual employment by the end of 2024, with permanent employment accounting for less than 10 per cent.

It said the situation had worsened in 2026, with more than 95 per cent of the mining workforce allegedly employed under fixed-term and casual arrangements.

The GMWU partly attributed the trend to the implementation of the Minerals and Mining (Local Content and Local Participation) Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2431), which it said had contributed to the outsourcing and fragmentation of core mining activities.

“Local content must therefore create opportunities for all Ghanaians. It cannot become a vehicle for exploitation to enrich a few contractors at the expense of the workers who risk and sweat day and night in the bowels of the earth to produce the wealth,” the petition said.

The union also referred to a Minerals Commission directive requiring some mining companies, including Zijin, Newmont and AngloGold, to transition their owner-mining operations to contract mining by December 2026.

The GMWU said it wrote to the Minerals Commission on April 23, 2026, opposing the directive and raising concerns about its potential impact on workers and their families.

It said the Ministry subsequently met with the union on May 26, 2026, where a roadmap was outlined to suspend the directive and establish a Technical Committee, including representatives of the GMWU, to investigate the concerns and review the Local Content Regulations.

The union is therefore calling for urgent government action to protect workers’ rights and ensure that Ghana’s mining sector provides secure and decent employment.