The immediate past Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries Limited, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, in October 2024, cautioned his staff against joining a planned strike by Organised Labour.

According to him, the concerns raised by Organised Labour to embark on such action were a national issue and not one that directly concerned GIHOC.

He noted that he did not see the essence of the protest and would not encourage any of his staff to participate because it contradicted their regulations.

Speaking in an interview with Oyerepa FM on October 9, 2024, Jumah warned that any staff of GIHOC who decided to join the Organised Labour’s strike would be dismissed with immediate effect.

“I hope the GIHOC members are listening. If you like, don’t report to work. Anyone who joins them [Organised Labour’s strike] will be sacked. I am saying this on authority. There are labour laws in the country. Let the issue be a national concern, not GIHOC’s own.

"If someone doesn’t sleep well and comes to say things, then you follow. So, if you like, follow them and see. They should not even waste our time because we are wise people at GIHOC,” he stressed earlier.

His comment came after Organised Labour served notice that it would embark on a strike on October 10, 2024, if the government failed to respond to their calls.

The labour group had met with the government to discuss their request for a ban on illegal mining activities locally known as galamsey across the nation; however, no agreement was reached.

Religious leaders, political figures, and state institutions had all added their voices for the galamsey menace to end.

Some aggrieved Ghanaians embarked on a three-day strike, calling on the government to take action against galamsey.

Former President Akufo-Addo later announced that military personnel would be deployed to various mining sites to fight the menace.

Watch the viral video from October 9, 2024 below:

I will personally sack any staff of GIHOC who participate in Organized Labour’s demo -Hon. Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Managing Director GIHOC#OyerepaNews #OyerepaTV #OyerepaFM #EndGalamseyNow #Election2024 pic.twitter.com/Fzh1HSRDRV

— Oyerepa TV/FM (@oyerepaofficial) October 8, 2024