Dismissed Bogoso-Prestea workers are bracing for a major showdown on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, as they take to the streets in what organisers describe as a decisive protest against Heath GoldFields Limited (HGL).
The demonstration, dubbed #Y’abre Heathgoldfields Demo, is expected to draw large crowds and marks a significant escalation in a dispute that began as a labour matter but has since grown into a broader community crisis.
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At the heart of the protest is the non-payment of benefits owed to more than 400 former employees of the Bogoso-Prestea Mines, a situation residents say has crippled livelihoods and drained economic life from the once-thriving mining hub.
Organisers warn that tensions in the town have reached breaking point, with growing anger among ex-workers, their families and local businesses who depend on mining-related activity.
What they describe as prolonged inaction by both the company and state authorities has, in their view, turned Bogoso-Prestea into a “powder keg ready to explode.”
According to the Former Workers of Bogoso-Prestea Mines Union, the dispute has been worsened by what they call a trail of broken promises from Heath GoldFields.
The group says management issued formal assurances on August 27 and October 6, 2025, committing to settle outstanding arrears.
Those assurances, they claim, were followed by further promises pointing to payments in November and December.
None of those timelines, the workers insist, were honoured.
“Heath GoldFields promised to pay in August, then November, then October and December but failed,” leaders of the group said, describing the experience as a psychological “merry-go-round” that has left former workers exhausted and disillusioned.
They argued that the absence of a dedicated communication channel for separated staff has deepened uncertainty and fuelled frustration, as affected workers are left guessing about their future and the fate of their benefits.
Beyond the unpaid workers, concerns are also mounting over the company’s financial health.
The ex-workers allege that Heath GoldFields is grappling with a severe liquidity crisis, citing the company’s alleged failure to pay three major contractors for more than three months.
The contractors named include Local Contractors Mining Services Limited, ENAS Engineering and Construction Limited, and Rockfield Mining and Construction Limited.
To the protesters, the accumulation of unpaid contractor bills is further evidence that the company is no longer financially capable of sustaining operations at one of Ghana’s most significant gold concessions.
They warn that the situation poses risks not only to workers but also to the local economy and the integrity of the mining sector.
Central to the workers’ demands is what they describe as a “litany of debts” owed to them, spanning statutory obligations and contractual entitlements that have allegedly gone unpaid for months.
These include Provident Fund contributions and accumulated arrears, severance and redundancy compensation for those laid off during restructuring, end-of-service benefits regarded by many as their life savings, and other accrued entitlements such as leave pay and annual bonuses.
For many of the affected workers, the prolonged delay has had devastating personal consequences, with families struggling to pay school fees, medical bills and basic living expenses. Community leaders say the ripple effects are visible across Bogoso-Prestea, where reduced spending power has hurt small businesses and deepened unemployment.
The planned January 6 protest follows months of unsuccessful attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue and institutional channels.
The workers have previously held a press conference in Accra and staged pickets at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission.
Formal petitions were submitted to the relevant authorities, outlining their grievances and calling for intervention.
Despite these efforts, the group says it has seen no decisive action from the government, a silence they interpret as tacit acceptance of the company’s conduct.
As a result, the upcoming demonstration is intended to force a turning point, including what organisers describe as a “total takeover” of the mine or the transfer of the concession to a more financially capable investor.
In a fresh petition ahead of the protest, the organisers have issued what they describe as non-negotiable demands.
These include the immediate settlement of all outstanding Provident Fund arrears, the restoration of the mine under a new investor with the financial strength to operate sustainably, and the full enforcement of all statutory and contractual entitlements owed to former workers.
They are also calling for the protection of earned benefits for workers who have been re-employed by Heath GoldFields, as well as the introduction of clear compliance timelines backed by stiff sanctions for any further default.
