Over 400 ex-Heath Goldfields workers accuse company of deception over unpaid severance packages

More than 400 former employees of Heath Goldfields Limited have accused the company of deceit and betrayal following its failure to pay their severance packages and other entitlements more than a year after their dismissal.

The workers were laid off after Heath Goldfields took over the Bogoso-Prestea Mine from Blue Gold Bogoso Prestea Limited, but claim the company has failed to fulfil its obligations despite repeated assurances and government intervention.

At a press conference in Bogoso, the aggrieved workers, led by Mr Gabriel Madobi Oklettey, Convener of the Former Workers, expressed anger over what they described as a blatant disregard for labour rights and human dignity.

“We were told to trust the process, but the company has only deceived us and delayed justice,” Mr Oklettey said.

According to the workers, only partial payments covering portions of salary arrears and provident fund contributions have been made, while severance pay, bonuses, and other benefits remain outstanding. They also accused the company of discriminatory payment practices, alleging that compensation was selectively paid to individuals with certain union affiliations.

In May this year, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah visited the mine and gave Heath Goldfields a 120-day ultimatum to clear all outstanding payments. However, the workers say the directive has not been fully complied with.

“Without the Minister’s intervention, not a single non-unionised worker would have received any compensation,” a petition by the group stated.

A memorandum dated August 27, 2025, from Heath Goldfields reportedly committed to settling all arrears by the end of September, but the workers claim less than half have been paid, and a new memo has extended the deadline to December.

Beyond the labour dispute, the workers raised concerns about alleged operational irregularities, including unauthorised movement of gold-bearing materials and a lack of transparency in dealings with regulators and community stakeholders.

They also questioned the legality of the lease transfer from Blue Gold to Heath Goldfields, claiming it lacked parliamentary ratification and violated provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).

“This failure undermines the credibility of the entire lease transfer process and raises serious concerns about due diligence,” the petition noted.

The former employees have called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission, and other relevant authorities to compel Heath Goldfields to pay all outstanding entitlements and to conduct a full audit of the company’s financial and operational capacity to manage the Bogoso-Prestea Mine.

Meanwhile, Blue Gold Bogoso Prestea Limited, the previous leaseholder, has filed for international arbitration seeking $1 billion in damages over what it describes as state-enabled expropriation, a development that has cast a shadow over Ghana’s mining sector and raised concerns about investor confidence and regulatory transparency.