Union urges government to impose windfall tax on gold

Accra, Sept. 10, GNA - The General Secretary of the Ghana Mineworkers' Union, Mr. Prince William Ankrah has urged government to see the increasing price of gold on the international market as an opportunity to exercise the political will to introduce windfall tax on the commodity to generate more revenue.

He said the sector's business outlook looks exciting because of the increasing price for gold and government needed to take a second look at the tax holiday that companies in the sector have been enjoying.

"The GMWU urges the government to begin exploring the avenue to collect windfall tax because the margin that the industry is making is huge,"he said.

Mr Ankrah made the remarks at the just ended 10th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Union in Sunyani, Brong Ahafo Region which saw the election of new national executives.

He said Ghana had mined Gold for a century yet it was struggling and said the Union believed it had to combine its energy with other stakeholders and the government to see how best to ensure that mining receipts were used judiciously.

Government, he said, must be focused and have the political will to negotiate for better deal in terms of the nation's stake in the mining sector.

On the part of employers, he noted that the Union would continue to pursue and engage the government constructively to address the income inequities in the system.

He added that it was a top priority for new executives and nothing would be left to chance in pursuing the goal.

The GMWU, he said, would also collaborate with the Ghana Chamber of Mines, colleagues and captains of industry to re-define its destiny with regard to qualified Ghanaians being given the opportunity to take up critical top positions in the mining sector.

A case like we have Geologists based here in Ghana and yet we have their counterpart coming from off-shore getting high salary differentials that one could not understand.

Mr Ankrah said the 10th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the GMWU was exciting because it showed signs that the Union had really come of age. He said about two weeks ago, the Commonwealth Secretariat announced that the Union had been selected to be profiled in the 2012 Commonwealth Year Book.

The GMWU was chosen after a survey which saw the union coming out strongly, hence its selection to be profiled.

Mr Ankrah cautioned members however that it was not time for complacency and that there was the need to ensure high health and safety standards in the mining sector, adding the GMWU would step up its campaign for convention 176 that has been on the drawing board.

The conference saw the election of new national executives. The new national chairperson went to Mr. Kwarko Mensah Gyakari; the General Secretary, Mr. Prince William Ankrah; Deputy General Secretary, Mr Eric Kwabena Gyimah; First National Vice Chairperson, Mr. Abdul Moomin

Gbana; 2nd National Vice Chairperson, Mrs Philomena Aba Sampson; First National Trustee, Mr. Fredrick Aniagyei; Second National Trustee, James Ackah; and Porter-Chaplain, Mr. William Bart-Plange. An eleven member Finance committee was also elected. The election was supervised by officials of the Brong Ahafo Regional Directorate of the Electoral Commission, led by the Regional Director, Mr George Gyabaah.

The Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress, Mr. Kofi Asamoah sworn-in the new executives and the finance committee members. Mr. Gyakari said GMWU would ensure that the relevant state agencies

were well resourced to enable them to step up efforts in monitoring activities

of illegal miners to save the nation from the lost of precious lives through "galamsey" activities.

The out-gone chairperson, Mr. John Brimpong encouraged young graduates to develop interest in trade union movement and not to see unionism as preserve of the elderly. In his view without trade unions, employees would have been slaves in their own country. 7Mr. Brimpong advised trade union leaders to be dedicated to their work, remain focused and to avoid the temptation of employers who would want them to play into their gallery.

"It is always the desire of employers to influence union decision d= uring negotiations to their favour, but it takes a courageous union leader to

ward-off some of these trappings likely to compromise employees' interest.