THE Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) has called on the government to ensure that its local content policy for the mining sector protects workers’ rights, guarantees decent jobs and prevents the exploitation of mineworkers under contract mining arrangements.
The union said local content initiatives should promote national development and create sustainable employment opportunities for Ghanaians rather than enrich contractors at the expense of workers.
In a statement issued in Accra yesterday in response to the government’s further directives on contract mining, the GMWU warned that the policy could expose mineworkers to exploitation, abuse and casualisation of labour while eroding protections secured over decades.
It said the government must adopt an inclusive and transparent approach to policy implementation, with workers’ interests placed at the centre of discussions.
“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 bowels of the earth to produce the wealth,” the statement said.
The union stressed that it was not opposed to the participation of Ghanaian businesses in the mining industry but rejected any policy or practice that weakened social protection, undermined decent work or violated workers’ rights.
It said a prosperous mining industry could not be built by impoverishing the workers whose labour generated its wealth.
The GMWU said it had petitioned the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on August 20, 2026, raising concerns about the Local Content Policy, particularly its implications for contract mining and the conditions of service of mineworkers.
It said the petition called on the government to suspend the directive and initiate a genuine stakeholder engagement process to address the concerns raised by the union and its more than 15,000 members.
However, the union said that as of October 21, 2026, when the Ministry issued a statement on further policy directives on contract mining, no consultation had taken place between the Ministry and the GMWU, despite repeated reminders.
It consequently rejected the Ministry’s claim that it had undertaken extensive consultations with the union’s leadership and called for the record to be corrected.
The union also raised concerns about media engagements involving the Minerals Commission, the government and other stakeholders on contract mining, local content and workers’ conditions of service.
It reminded the Minerals Commission and the government that many worker-related issues fell within the framework of collective bargaining and were regulated by the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
It cautioned against unilateral decisions on such matters, stressing the importance of respecting established labour relations processes.
The GMWU reaffirmed its commitment to working with stakeholders to develop the mining industry while protecting the interests of all parties, particularly workers.
It maintained that local content must advance national development without compromising the rights, dignity and livelihoods of mineworkers.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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