A nine-member committee has been set up to investigate the circumstances that led to a violent protest by workers of the Ghana Bauxite Limited at Awaso in the Bibiani–Anyaaso- Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region.
This comes after the workers were sacked for setting vehicles and other property of the company on fire during the protest.
The Regional Industrial Relations officer for the Construction and Building Materials Union, Richard Asamoah Mensah said the committee has been mandated to engineer renegotiation processes and the possible reinstatement of the sacked workers.
“There is a nine-member committee that will start sitting on Saturday, July 6 for about a week to come out with the negotiations of the workers and re-engagement of the workers. Workers at Awaso have been told to re-apply and they are also doing so. Because we are left with three clauses of the collective agreement, we are going to sit with the labour officer for the Western Region to finalize this before July 12. The three clauses left are also going to be looked into to make sure that the workers are back.”
Last month, workers of the Bauxite Mining Company set ablaze properties of the company including the residence of the Human Resource Manager during a demonstration exercise.
They were protesting poor working conditions and the failure of management to increase their salaries.
The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Kweku Asomah Cheremeh then asked the Company in Awaso to halt operations for now following violent protest by the staff.
Police later provided protection for management of the Ghana Bauxite Company as they continue to gather information needed to resolve the matter.
Persons behind Awaso revolt won’t go scot-free – Police assure
The Bibiani Divisional Police Command in the Western North Region had said that it will bring to book, workers of the Ghana Bauxite mining company at Awaso who vandalized properties there.
Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent John Osei Bonsu said they were picking up leads that will help them effect arrest.
“We are still investigating so as to be sure of any arrest that we make. The police were not present when the incident happened, so we now have to rely on eyewitness accounts and materials that people will give us to identify the perpetrators and arrest them. We don’t want to waste time, while the perpetrators walk away so that nothing happens at the end of the day .”