At an emergency meeting in Accra Monday, the Labour Relations and Lands Ministries gave the Union a 72-hour ultimatum to submit its grievances regarding the exercise for an amicable settlement.
A protest by the workers of Goldfields Tarkwa mines in the Western Region turned bloody after they clashed with a team of military personnel there.
“We went to the green compound and we were asked to sign redundancy letters, under duress with a heavy military presence and anyone who refused was denied access to the compound,” one of the workers told Joy News.
He criticized the “mercenary tactics” employed by Goldfields Ghana to disengage the workers after claiming to be a “responsible company.”
The intervention by the two key ministries has saved further bloodshed, a development the Ghana Mines Workers Union have lauded.
GMWU General Secretary, Prince Ankrah told Evans Mensah on Joy FM’s Top Story the Union does not have any ulterior motive but to see a smooth exercise.
“They called the bluff of the workers,” he said of Goldfields but said they will follow the instruction of the government.
Although the lay-off exercise has the backing of the court, Deputy Employment Minister, Bright Wereko-Brobbey said there is the need for caution in the execution of the plan.
“This involves human beings, it involves labourers and we hope that the constructive engagement between the Union and Goldfields will result in an amicable solution,” he said.