The General Secretary of the General Mine Workers Union (GMWU) Ghana, Mr. Prince William Ankrah has called on government to re-consider the tax concessions given to mining companies that operating in the country.

In his view, instead of the nation benefiting from the tax exemptions the companies rather use the funds to employ expatriate workers to the detriment of Ghanaian workers with equal educational qualifications.

Mr. Ankrah argues that tax concessions are given to mining companies to ease the financial burden associated with their operations, but unfortunately many of these companies use the tax exemptions imprudently.

According to him with such an attitude from the mining companies the current gold boom being experienced in the world will not trickle down the economy.

He was of the view that the impact of the current gold boom could only be experienced in the country if the government ensures that most of the revenues accruing from the activities of the companies are invested in infrastructural development of the communities.

Many mining companies operating in the country currently enjoy tax exemptions on equipments brought into the country for the operations, do not pay VAT,NHIS and other taxes that help in generating revenue for the state.

According to the General Secretary the country has passed the era in which for the sake of attracting investments very flexible terms and conditions are given to companies that wish to operate in the country.

"The time has come for us to also derive the full benefits of the gold and other resources that are endowed in the country," he added.

Mr. Ankrah said this in an interview during a two day statutory meeting of the Sub-Saharan African Regional Executive Committee Meeting of the International Federation of Chemicals, Energy, Mines and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) in Accra.

He lauded the government decision to set up a committee to look into the activities of mining in the country but said that it was unfortunate that the Union, District Assemblies, Community leaders and Non-governmental Organizations were left out of the committee.

The General Secretary therefore appealed to the government to rectify the anomaly in the composition of the committee to ensure equal representation of all stakeholders in the industry.

Mr. Ankrah urged mining companies to invest in the human resource and infrastructural development of their host communities to ensure that the communities benefit from mining.

He said it was most unfortunate that many communities that experience the operations of mining companies are turned into "ghost" towns after the mining companies have left.

Touching on the challenges of the mine worker, the General Secretary said that the issue of poor safety standards remains a challenge.

According to him, many workers in mining companies continue to experience high accidents and fatalities which sometimes render them incapacitated for the rest of their lives.

Explaining the role of the ICEM, he said that it aims at promoting the general welfare of chemical, energy and mine workers across the country.

According to him the ICEM as an International Organization intervenes in the activities of its affiliate members by putting pressure on governments when the local unions find it difficult to put their sentiments across.

In addition they enjoy sponsorship packages in education, research programmes, seminars and also enable them to create international contacts on the labour front.

The Chairperson of the organization in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Riayforid Mbulu said that the organization ensures that there is industrial peace and harmony amongst its members.

In addition they work to guarantee that companies comply with safety regulations as set out by the International Labour Organization and also make it a point that companies fulfill their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Touching on the challenges he said that the lack of political will by governments to implement both local and international protocol is having an effect on the worker in the industry.

According to him since most governments are interested in giving the African worker a raw deal they are lackadaisical in signing onto international treaties and even in situations were they are signed they refuse to implement them.

Also the political instability across the continent is affecting the labour movement since many workers are disposed off during such conflicts.

In addition the current global capital trends where investors come to the sub-region with expatriate workers is having a serious challenge on the labor movement and suggested that rather they should build the capacity of existing staff by employing them.

Mr. Mbulu was worried that the use of heavy equipment for mining without considering their impact on the environment places the continent in a dangerous position since it could experience a major earthquake. In his view safety standards have been compromised by these companies and this has resulted in a lot of fatalities being recorded.

He said many African governments sign agreements with investors with strict conditions by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and this gives the companies the opportunity to enjoy a lot of tax holidays.