UGM urges President Rawlings to act on AGC strike

Accra (Greater Accra) 25 May '99

United Ghana Movement (UGM) on Monday urged President Jerry John Rawlings to order an immediate stop to the "illegal occupation" of the Obuasi mines before irreparable damage is done to the economy and the country's reputation as a safe and reliable haven for investment.

It said the President also needs "to act decidedly and swiftly" to erase the growing public perception that the government's "kid's glove" attitude to the unlawful strike is due to the unofficial support for the strike.

This was contained in a statement issued in Accra on Monday and signed by Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, UGM's Presidential Candidate, for the 2000 elections.

The statement said President Rawlings must order the Minister of Employment to invoke the appropriate labour laws, especially, the statutory four-week notice of a strike or lockout, to order an immediate stoppage of the strike.

"The President must further order the Minister of the Interior, Nii Okaija Adamafio and the Inspector General of Police, Mr Peter Nanfuri to take every necessary lawful step to enforce the President's order to re-open the AGC mines and get it back to work immediately.

"Once the mine is open, the TUC and Ghana Mineworkers' Union must put AGC's offer to the entire workforce, to vote for acceptance or rejection.

"No industrial action nor acts of victimisation, whatsoever, must be carried out in the period between the opening of the mine and the announcement of the ballot result."

UGM said if the workers vote to accept the offer, the government must take every step to ensure that no illegal demonstrations or wanton acts of vandalism, takes place.

On the other hand, it said, if the workers vote for a strike action, then the Union must give the statutory 14 days notice and get back into negotiations with the AGC Management for a possible solution before the effective date of commencement of the official strike action.

UGM said the stoppage, coming at the time when there were several thousands of people attending the African-African American Summit could not have been more unfortunate or reckless.

"The orchestration of an illegal shut down of AGC is a major threat to every Ghanaian living everywhere today and many millions of Ghanaians yet to be born."

Describing AGC "as Ghana's flagship entity", the statement urged Ghanaians to support the AGC Management.

It said anything short of that would mean "the country's economic prospects will be bleak for the foreseeable future and we might as well postpone achieving Vision 2020 for at least another 100 years", the statement concluded.