Downsizing of Golden Star and Goldfields Staff Affects Ghana’s Mining Sector Jobs

Flash back: Goldfields workers demo

Accra, Ghana, November 28, 2018//-The reduction in Ghana’s mining sector workforce has been blamed on the limited labour rationalisation measures undertaken by Golden Star Resources and Abosso Goldfields Limited’s shift from owner to contract mining.

The two leading mines operated by Golden Star Resources, Golden Star Wassa Limited and Golden Star Bogoso Prestea Limited which transitioned into solely merchanised underground mines in the first quarter of 2018.

In that regard, the mining companies downsized their workforce to match their operational requirements. This led to the layoffs of several Ghanaian mine workers in the country.

Consequently, the total direct employment by the producing member companies of the Ghana Chamber of Mines has dropped from 11,628 in 2016 to10,503 in 2017, according to the 2017 Annual Report of the Chamber which covers the first quarter of 2018.

The report added: “Out of the10,503 direct employees, 159 were expatriates and the remaining 10,344 were Ghanaians. The former represents 1.5 percent of the workforce”.

Against the backdrop of relatively higher gold prices and increased production of gold and manganese, the realized mineral revenue of the member companies of the Chamber rose by 13 percent to $5.945 billion in 2017 from $5.262 billion in 2016.

The upswing in realized mineral revenue was attributable to broad-based growth in output of the producing member companies as well as increase in the quantity of assayed by Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), which counterbalanced the decline in export of diamonds by PMMC.

African Eye Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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