The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) has warned against the deteriorating conditions of workers in the mining sector, highlighting what it calls a “crisis of decent work” fuelled by an unprecedented rise in non-standard employment.
Speaking at the Union’s 2025 second-half National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Accra, leadership revealed that more than 90% of workers in the mining industry are now employed under temporary, casual, or fixed-term contractual arrangements, leaving only 10% in standard, permanent jobs.
The Union described this shift as the outcome of “the continuous fragmentation of production and outsourcing, aided by policy reforms under the guise of local content,” which has resulted in severe job insecurity and rights violations.
According to the Union, these employment arrangements have created conditions that expose workers to greater risks, instability, and exploitation.
“Workers now have lower levels of employment protection, high degrees of uncertainty and face higher risks in respect of workplace accidents or injuries,” the Union noted.
The leadership condemned what it describes as cut-throat contracting practices that force local mining contractors into unsustainable agreements with multinational giants, ultimately harming workers.
“The consequences… are dire, as workers’ welfare in these local entities are relegated to the background, manifested in excessive delays in payment of wages, non-payment of Provident Fund contributions, and even statutory pension obligations,” the Union stated.
Despite record-high gold prices—rising from $1,800 at the height of COVID-19 to an unprecedented $4,000 in 2025—the Union says the windfall has not translated into better working conditions. Companies continue to outsource even core mining activities “simply on the back of profit maximisation.”
The Union’s leadership insists that these practices undermine the long-term stability of the industry, warning: “This arrangement continues to threaten and undermine the decent work agenda and impoverish our members… and has the potential to threaten the stability of the industry in the not-too-distant future.”
The GMWU is therefore calling on the Government, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and the Minerals Commission to urgently intervene. They insist that mining firms should be strictly responsible for core mining operations and the employment conditions tied to them.
The Union also urged regulators to scrutinise contract terms between local contractors and multinational mining companies, ensuring they are not “exploitative, suffocating, or unsustainable.”
As the sector anticipates further expansion following increased gold output and the opening of new mines, the GMWU warns that unless working conditions improve, Ghana’s mining boom may come at a devastating human cost for its labour force.
