Hundreds of laid-off workers of Heath Goldfields Limited will this morning storm the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission in Accra to picket over what they describe as more than a year of deceit, unfulfilled promises, and blatant disregard for their rights.
They will demand an immediate intervention from sector minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission.
They want the state to compel Heath Goldfields — owned by former Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor — to pay all outstanding severance packages, bonuses, and benefits owed them since their dismissal.
The picketing follows months of rising tension between the former workers and the mining firm, culminating in a formal notification submitted to the Accra Regional Police Command on December 1, 2025.
The workers, through their lawyer, informed the police of their plan to picket, prompting a meeting on December 2.
According to the group, police officials promised to communicate their final position in writing but had failed to do so by the time of the pick-up this morning.
Anger that has been brewing for months
Today’s picketing marks the latest escalation in a dispute that has been festering since Heath Goldfields took control of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine in what many industry observers considered an unusual, government-backed takeover from Blue Gold Bogoso Prestea Limited, successor to Future Global Resources (FGR).
At a widely publicised press conference in November 2025, the aggrieved former employees laid out their concerns in detail, describing the ordeal they had endured since their retrenchment. Speaking emotionally, worker representatives accused Heath Goldfields of misleading them, violating labour laws, and engaging in discriminatory payment practices that have left hundreds of families in financial ruin.
Broken promises and alleged discrimination
The controversy began shortly after the company dismissed more than 400 workers under the justification of “operational restructuring” and a decision to place the mine under “care and maintenance.”
The redundancy, the workers said, was accepted in good faith on the understanding that Heath Goldfields would honour all lawful obligations, including salary arrears, bonus payments, provident fund contributions, accrued leave, and severance benefits.
However, more than a year later, they insist that the company has made only partial payments, largely covering fragments of overdue salaries and small portions of provident fund contributions.
“Beyond these limited payments, Heath Goldfields has failed to honour its full obligations,” a petition from the workers stated.
Worsening tensions, the workers accuse the firm of selectively paying compensation to individuals aligned with certain union interests while neglecting the majority.
Many non-unionised workers, they claim, have received nothing at all.
Govt ultimatum ignored
In their quest for redress, the workers petitioned several officials, including the Member of Parliament for Prestea Huni Valley, the Western Regional Minister, and Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.
This resulted in a ministerial visit to the mine on May 24, 2025. After assessing the situation, the minister issued a 120-day ultimatum to Heath Goldfields to begin paying outstanding benefits.
The directive triggered limited payments for a handful of staff, but five months on, the workers say the company has failed to comply with the full terms of the minister’s instructions.
Repeated deadlines, no action
A memorandum issued by Heath Goldfields on August 27, 2025, committed the company to settling all outstanding provident fund payments and severance benefits by the end of September.
Yet by the end of October, fewer than half of affected workers had received their entitlements.
In another internal memo, the company extended the payment deadline to December 2025.
To the workers, this was a clear sign of what they call “continued bad faith and evidence of financial incapacity.”
Crucially, the company has provided no assurances regarding payment of the 2023 annual bonus, end-of-service benefits, or accrued leave days — obligations explicitly mandated under Section 18 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), which requires the full settlement of benefits upon termination.
A deepening crisis in Ghana’s mining sector
The dispute at Heath Goldfields has become one of the most bruising labour and investment controversies in recent mining history.
The company’s takeover of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine under what some experts describe as opaque and politically enabled circumstances has further fuelled suspicions of state complicity.
With investor confidence already fragile amid accusations of regulatory inconsistency and government interference, the ongoing standoff threatens to erode Ghana’s reputation as a predictable mining destination.
