NEWMONT Ghana has cut down the number of workers it intended to lay off from 600 to 472. The retrenchment exercise will begin by the end of this month (September) and ends in December, this year.
This follows an agreement between the mining company and the Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU) in Accra.
In the beginning of this year, Newmont Ghana announced a plan to lay off about 600 of its workers as part of a retrenchment and restructuring exercise.
However, the move did not go down well with the mine workers union who demanded justification for the move and threatened to stage demonstrations.
Newmont referred the matter to the National Labour Commission (NLC) to investigate the issue.
The NLC after preliminary hearings later directed the two parties to resolve the matter through arbitration.
Secretary-General of the Ghana Mine Workers Union, Prince William Ankrah explained “we put our ears down and got signal from our colleagues there, that the facts are right.”
He added that “there is a business case to go along with them (the company) to reduce the numbers in the interim while they become efficient in whatever they are doing. Then in the next year or two, they will get money to expand as they have promised. Based on that, they can sign some additional numbers.”
In a joint statement from Newmont Ghana and Ghana Mineworkers Union, the two parties have indicated signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) covering the decisions reached in the agreement.
These include: ·Impacted employees being paid the difference in compensation that may arise from the salary negotiations for the remaining force
·All outstanding matters currently pending at the National Labour Commission will be discussed and resolved within the context of a revived partnership.
“Newmont Ghana and the GMWU recently informed the National Labour Commission (NLC) of their joint decision to temporarily suspend the arbitration process and find a mutually acceptable outcome,” the statement said.
“Together we will communicate the MOU to the panel of arbitrators, instituted by the National Labour Commission, for adoption into an arbitral award,” GMWU’s General Secretary – Prince Ankrah and Newmont Ghana’s Pascal Kanbonnabah – Regional Vice President, Human Resources stated.
“We applaud the negotiating teams of Newmont Ghana and the GMWU for committing to collaboration and positive dialogue that has typically existed between both parties.”
Both parties reiterated their commitment to fostering a mutually beneficial partnership and working together to revitalize the Ahafo Mine and set it on course for long-term sustainability, future growth opportunities and shared value.
“It is important we arrive at mutually acceptable outcomes in the interest of the long-term sustainability of Newmont Ghana’s operations,” they stated.
African Eye News
