Some of the workers of Shaabxi Mining Ghana
A total of about 500 workers at the Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd have been sent home and are very likely to lose their jobs, as the Mining Support Company has asked them to stay at home till further notice.
This follows a Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources directive to the Company to suspend operations in the Gbane area, in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.
There had been mixed reactions in the area since the news broke that, Management of “Shaanxi”, has received the Ministry’s directive and has agreed to suspend operations, to allow investigation into the Company’s operations and also some deaths that have been attributed to the Company by some natives and local miners.
The Shaanxi workers that have been laid off are wailing over what they described as their “nightmares” becoming a reality. They wonder how they will support their families if they are not called back to work.
There are also members of some small scale mining groups as well as “illegal” miners who are rejoicing over the Ministry’s directive, because, their biggest “rival” has been dealt a hefty blow.
The local miners, have had what they have been looking for a very long time, considering their inability to compete with the Pubuotaba and Yenyeya Mining Groups, who have engaged the services of Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd, to render technical and logistical support to enable them mine on the 50 acre concession.
Since 2010, there has been unhealthy relationship between the local mining groups and the Shaanxi Mining Ltd, as the former keeps blaming the later for every death and accident that occurs underground and accuse them of operating without licence.
Shaanxi has always distanced itself from those deaths that occur in the Gbane area, as the Company’s Public Relations Officer, Maxwell Wooma, keeps calling for investigations into the deaths.
“We will cooperate fully with the investigators because we have nothing bad to hide. Currently the mine is under care and maintenance and that comes at a high cost, yet, will yield no revenue. We can’t mine, but we need to keep the place in shape, if not the whole of the mine will be flooded by the time the investigations are over.”
Mr. Wooma had always believed that the accidents that led to many of the deaths of local miners were as a result of substandard practices they applied.
Some of the workers who spoke with DAILY GUIDE in separate interviews opined that the groups who kept organising and sponsoring Press Conferences, were only jealous of the gains made by the Pubuotaba and Yenyeya Mining Groups and had decided to vent their anger on Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd, to court public support.
From: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Gbane