Secret “Galamsey Watchdogs” To Go On Strike After One Month of Existence Due To Nonpayment of Salaries
Galamsey
Galamsey has been in the news for the past few months due to the media’s recent campaign against this menace.
Over the years, Galamsey has destroyed land, farms and water bodies. Most of our rivers have become brown and many have likened it to “This Way” chocolate drink. The Ghana Water Company Limited now has to spend more money to purify our water due to the gross level of pollution that the mercury used in mining has caused our water bodies.
After the media launched a massive campaign against Galamsey, the government has been forced to react. The President, Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo has promised that this will come to an end. Last month, the minister of Lands and Natural Resources paid a surprise visit to some villages in the Eastern and Western Regions, where galamsey has become rampant and warned the illegal miners to stop operating or face the wrath of government.
According to the Daily Graphic, the Minister set up a secret group of watchdogs to ensure that all these activities came to a halt. The group was made up of some locals of the community and some repented galamsey operators. Their task was to report anyone who was seen moving into the community with excavators. They were also armed in case of any attack on them.
On Friday, May 5, Myjoyonline published a news article written by John Kumah stating that “All of a sudden, a group calling themselves secret watchdogs against galamsey have vowed to go on strike if they don’t hear anything concerning their salaries from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.”
The leader of the group said “We were promised to be given GHC1000 each at the end of every month and we started working in the last week of March and we haven’t even received a phone call from any public official since then. We’ve put our lives on the line and some of us were even attacked. One of our members was killed in his line of duty and his family hasn’t been compensated. We will go on strike if we don’t hear anything from the Minister within 24 hours”.