The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) has rejected claims by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources that it has held extensive consultations with the Union over the government’s directives on contract mining.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 22, 2026, the Union described the Ministry’s assertion in a press release dated October 21 as “factually inaccurate”.
The GMWU said it petitioned the Ministry on August 20 after raising concerns about the Local Content Policy, particularly its implications for contract mining and workers’ conditions.
According to the Union, the policy could expose mines and workers to exploitation, abuse and casualisation while weakening existing labour protections.
The GMWU said its August petition called on the government to suspend the directive and initiate an inclusive and transparent engagement process that gives workers a central role in policy decisions.
However, it said more than two months had passed without any practical steps to convene a meeting or address the concerns raised by the Union, which represents more than 15,000 members.
“[I]t is both misleading and unfortunate for the Ministry to suggest that extensive consultations have taken place when no such consultations had occurred as of the date of its press release,” the statement said.
The Union has called on the Ministry to correct what it considers a misrepresentation of the engagement process.
The Union stressed that it does not oppose the participation of Ghanaian businesses in the mining sector.
It said its concern was with policies or practices that could undermine workers’ rights, weaken social protection and transfer wealth from employees to contractors.
“Local content must create decent and sustainable jobs and provide 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 bowls of the earth to produce the wealth,” the statement said.
The GMWU added that the mining sector could not achieve sustainable national development by undermining the livelihoods of the workers who generate its wealth.
The GMWU also raised concerns about media engagements involving the Minerals Commission and other stakeholders on contract mining, local content and workers’ conditions of service.
It reminded the Commission and the government that several employment-related matters fall under collective bargaining and are regulated by the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
The Union urged the relevant authorities to exercise caution in taking unilateral decisions on matters affecting workers’ conditions of service.
The GMWU said it remained willing to work with government and other stakeholders to develop the mining industry while protecting workers’ rights and livelihoods.
It maintained that local content policies should support national development, create sustainable employment and ensure that workers benefit fairly from the sector.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had not responded to the Union’s statement at the time of its release.