Gold Fields Job Cuts: GHEITI Boss Questions Worker Concerns Amid Looming Lease Expiry
As tensions rise over the future of Gold Fields Ghana’s Damang Mine Dr. Steve Manteaw, Chairman of the Ghana Extractives Transparency Initiative (GHEITI) has questioned the uproar surrounding possible job losses, stating that previous layoffs at the company received little attention.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb Business, the natural resource governance expert expressed confusion over the current wave of concern being raised by the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union. According to Dr. Manteaw the mining firm has laid off workers in the past without triggering this level of alarm.
Gold Fields has been laying off workers, he said. But for those people who were laid off previously do their lives not matter? I’m just struggling to understand because the workers themselves are aware that for some time now, Gold Fields has been laying off workers.
His comments follow strong warnings from the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union who say that the government’s decision not to renew Gold Fields’ Damang Mining Lease could lead to significant job losses. The current 30-year lease, which began on April 18, 1995, is set to expire on April 18, 2025.
The union’s General Secretary, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, has emphasized that the expiration of the lease without renewal would jeopardize the incomes and livelihoods of hundreds of workers. He further hinted at a possible protest march if the government fails to address their concerns or provide compensation for potential job losses.
Our members are anxious. Their future is uncertain, Gbana said. If the government fails to act, we’ll have no option but to mobilize and demand what is rightfully ours.
The government, however, has indicated that the decision not to renew the lease forms part of a broader national agenda aimed at reshaping Ghana’s economic structure and rethinking resource management for long-term sustainability.
This unfolding situation highlights the delicate balance between government policy shifts and the immediate socio-economic impact on local workers. As Gold Fields and the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union push for clarity and commitments, many eyes remain fixed on how the government will manage the fallout from this high-stakes decision.
Whether a compromise will be reached before the lease’s expiration remains to be seen, but for now, the tension continues to mount—both underground and above it.