GMA President Clarifies Decision to Abstain From Organised Labour's Anti-Galamsey Strike

• Dr Frank Serebour, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) president, has refuted claims the GMA's withdrawal from the anti-galamsey strike was by unilateral decision
• He said he had called all 21 executive council members for their opinions before issuing the statement
• He added that the GMA continues to oppose illegal mining and has called for pragmatic steps to solve the problem

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) President, Dr Frank Serebour, has denied allegations that he unilaterally decided to withdraw the association’s participation in Organised Labour’s anti-galamsey strike.

He explained that the decision to abstain from the strike followed consultation with the association’s Executive Council.

His explanation follows a petition filed against him for allegedly unilaterally withdrawing the GMA from Organised Labour’s October 10, 2024, industrial action.

The petition seeks to impeach Dr Frank Serebour.

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Organised Labour dissenters threaten to sue over union's 'unlawful' galamsey strike

However, explaining what led to the decision to abstain at a meeting in Accra, he said he called each executive council member, 21 in all, for their opinions on whether to join the strike.

After tallying the results, 5 council members opted to join the strike, one abstained, and 15 said no.

He stated that his group had reached the decision on Thursday, October 4, 2024, but decided to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to release it to avoid deflating Organised Labour’s momentum.

However, the information was leaked before the GMA could officially state its position on the matter.

Dr Serebour reaffirms GMA’s stance against galamsey

Meanwhile, Dr Frank Serebour has reaffirmed the association’s stance against illegal mining.

He said the association believes galamsey can be addressed pragmatically and not by striking.

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GMA petitioned to remove president, Dr Frank Serebour, following withdrawal from galamsey strike

He said committing the association to an indefinite strike was not the right way to resolve the galamsey issue.

GMA petitioned to impeach Frank Serebour

A member of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Vishnu Nene Limon Abayateye, has filed a petition demanding the removal of the association’s president.

Dr Vishnu’s petition, set to be addressed at the GMA’s annual general assembly meeting in Ho in November, alleged that Dr Serebour had acted unilaterally in issuing a statement withdrawing the association’s participation from the strike action, without the consent of the National Executive Council or the general assembly.

Dr Abayateye stressed that the action was an affront to Article 16 of the GMA constitution and did not reflect the views of the association’s broader membership.

He added that Dr Serebour’s directive on the matter has brought the association into disrepute.

Dissenting union members threaten court action

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GMA withdraws from Organised Labour's October 10 nationwide strike against galamsey

YEN.com.gh reported that some dissenters within Organised Labour have opposed the union's decision to embark on an industrial action.

The group claimed that the calls for a nationwide strike were 'politically motivated' and 'unreasonable'.

These members have threatened to sue Organised Labour should their strike proceed on October 10, 2024.

Source: YEN.com.gh