Galamsey: We were not bribed – Organised Labour rejects allegations

Organised Labour has strongly denied allegations that its leadership accepted bribes from the government in exchange for calling off a nationwide strike that was scheduled for October 10. The strike was originally planned as a protest against the government’s lack of action in tackling illegal mining, also known as galamsey.

King Ali Awudu, president of the Coalition of Concern Teachers (CCT) and a prominent figure in Organised Labour, dismissed these accusations as baseless. He argued that their decision to cancel the strike was based on the progress made in negotiations, particularly the government’s commitment to revoke the Legislative Instrument (LI) that permits mining in forest reserves.

Awudu underscored that Organised Labour’s intervention had achieved results within a month, something other organisations had been unable to accomplish. He pointed out that bodies like the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences had previously called on the government to address the issue of mining in forest reserves without success, making Organised Labour’s impact even more significant.

Awudu reiterated that the decision to call off the strike was grounded in these concrete outcomes, not due to any form of financial influence, and questioned the need for a strike when their primary demand was being met.