Organised Labour has strongly denied accusations of accepting bribes in exchange for cancelling a nationwide strike planned for October 10, 2024.
The strike was intended to protest the government’s perceived inaction in tackling illegal mining, known as galamsey. Critics had alleged that the leadership of Organised Labour was financially influenced by the government to abandon the strike.
In response, King Ali Awudu, president of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) and a key member of Organised Labour, rejected these claims, describing them as baseless and without merit. Awudu clarified that their decision was driven by tangible progress made in negotiations with the government.
He pointed to the government’s commitment to revoke the Legislative Instrument (LI) allowing mining in forest reserves, a significant step forward achieved within a month of their engagement.
Awudu further emphasized that Organised Labour’s influence had prompted the government to take action where other groups had not succeeded.
He noted that despite similar demands from bodies like the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences since December 2023, the government had not responded until Organised Labour intervened.
He concluded by stating that the purpose of the strike was being met through these concrete results, making the strike unnecessary. “Why do we go on strike?” he asked, defending their decision as being in the best interest of achieving their goals through negotiation, rather than any form of financial gain.
Story by: Mercy Addai Turkson
