The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) has expressed strong opposition to a reported directive requiring major mining companies including Zijin, Newmont and AngloGold to transition to contract mining by December 2026, warning that the policy could significantly alter employment conditions in the sector.
In a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, and sighted by The High Street Journal, the Union said it “disagrees without equivocation” with the directive, insisting that decisions of such scale must not be taken without meaningful engagement with workers.
The Union’s main concern is the potential impact on jobs, earnings and workplace stability. It argues that contract mining arrangements under Ghana’s local content framework have, over time, tended to weaken labour conditions rather than improve them.
According to the GMWU, workers under contractor systems often experience reduced earnings compared to direct employment models. It stated that wages are sometimes “significantly reduced, mostly by at least half of what they were earning under an owner miner for the same job.”
The Union also raised concerns about the broader impact on worker welfare, particularly long-term benefits. It noted that “almost every other benefit the worker enjoyed under the owner miner is either completely stripped off the worker under a local contractor or heavily diluted.”
Beyond pay and benefits, the GMWU pointed to what it described as recurring compliance challenges among some local mining contractors. It cited issues relating to statutory payments such as SSNIT, Tier 2 pensions, and tax obligations, suggesting that enforcement gaps in the contractor system could place both workers and the state at risk.
The Union also referenced past tensions in the sector, including disputes between workers and certain contractors over unpaid statutory contributions, arguing that these incidents highlight deeper structural weaknesses in the contract mining model.
In contrast, it suggested that multinational mining companies have generally maintained more consistent labour standards and compliance practices, raising questions about whether a transition away from owner-operated mining would strengthen or weaken industry outcomes.
At the heart of the Union’s position is a broader concern about policy direction and consultation. It argues that reforms of this magnitude must be inclusive and evidence-based, warning that imposing change without consensus could destabilise the sector.
“We therefore wish to serve notice that the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union disagrees with this position and remains irrevocably opposed to this directive,” the letter stated.
