Junior staff, of the Mining Department of Newmont Ghana Gold Ahafo Mine have embarked on an indefinite strike action, to register their disagreement with management and their representatives, over the decision not to have an end of year party for the mining operations and maintenance crew.

The Chronicle learnt that, though the denial of annual end of year party was the basis for their demonstration, there was more to it.

The irate mine workers are complaining about inequality in monthly salaries and non-payment of leave allowances.

They are also not happy with management's decision to include medical, school fees, among other allowances, to their monthly salaries for them to be taxed.

According to some of the protestors, the Head of the Mine Department, Ervin Key has proposed to the management, and threatened to phase-out female workers in the department, who have been operating the dump trucks and other moveable machine, with the reason that, the rate at which they frequently get pregnant was alarming.

They continued that Mr. Ervin Key buttressed his assertions that, the frequency of pregnancies recorded at the Department, on the part of the female workers, was affecting productivity of the company, and needed to be addressed immediately.

Some of the incensed junior staff, alleged that the Departmental Head made some racist comments, but that allegation was quickly refuted by majority of the protestors, who The Chronicle contacted. The protestors argued that Mr. Key's threat to phase-out the female workers, in the department due to the rate at which they were getting conceived had no bas

is, because they were not given specific periods during which they could get pregnant, after they have been given employment. "Once a person is married and is gainfully employed, he or she has the right to have her family, so Key was trying to infringe on the rights of the female workers," they stressed.

The Chronicle's source disclosed that the demonstration was planned for the early hours of Monday December 17, around 3:00am, at the fuel filling station of the mines, but the senior drivers instructed their juniors to park their vehicles, without any tangible reasons being given. A few minutes later, the senior drivers used dump trucks to block the main entrance to the administration offices.

The striking junior workers, who were not perturbed, however insisted that until their manager was dismissed, they were not resuming work, urging NGGL management to negotiate with the mine workers union on the leave allowances, and should as a matter of urgency arrange for the end of year party.

According to them, they were not resuming until their grievances were resolved, but in a release issued by the management of Newmont Ahafo Mine, a meeting was being scheduled with the leadership of the Ahafo Branch of the Ghana Mine Workers' Union, to address the concerns raised by the Junior Staff of the Mining Department.

According to the statement, management of the Mining Department, together with representatives from the Human Resource Department (HR), had met with the Shift Crew leaders on Friday December 14, to discuss the Mine Department's inability, due to logistical and time constraints, to organize an end-of-year party, for the mining operations and maintenance crews.

The statement continued that following the meeting, a section of the Junior Staff of the Mining Department embarked on the work stoppage, to register their disagreement with management and their representatives, over the decision not to have an end-of-year party.

The statement revealed that, from management of NGGL investigations, other concerns have also been raised and they were meeting with the leadership of the Ahafo Branch of the Ghana Mine Workers' Union, to discuss those concerns through a jointly-agreed due process for responding to disagreements and grievances, set out under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), between Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and the Ghana Mine Workers' Union.

"All other employees are at work, and it is Management's belief that the terms and conditions and due process spelt out in the CBA, should be allowed to work," management of NGGL stressed.

They assured that management was committed to, and was working towards speedily resolving the aggrieved staff's concerns, to ensure a peaceful and harmonious working environment at the Ahafo Mine site.