The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has petitioned the Finance Minister over more than GH¢380 million in locked-up funds belonging to over 19,000 mineworkers, warning that continued delays could trigger widespread industrial action across the mining sector.

🇬🇭 Here's What Happened

In a petition dated August 20, 2026, the union demanded the immediate resolution of outstanding issues involving distressed Specialised Deposit-taking Institutions (SDIs), including The Seed Funds Savings & Loans Limited (TSF) and Jislah Financial Services Limited.

The affected funds include workers’ Provident Fund contributions, Welfare Funds, Leave Savings, Personal Investments and Severance Packages.

The union said the funds have remained inaccessible following the financial sector clean-up undertaken by the Bank of Ghana.

📌 Key Details

The GMWU said it had engaged the Bank of Ghana on the matter since 2021 but had yet to secure a lasting solution.

According to the union, meetings with the Head of Banking Supervision on April 8 and June 11, 2021, resulted in assurances that the central bank was aware of the challenges and was working towards a solution.

The union said it subsequently requested a meeting with the Bank of Ghana Governor, but “the meeting was never arranged, nor have the issues been resolved.”

It said the prolonged inability to access the funds had affected workers’ welfare, particularly members who had been made redundant or retired and needed the money to support their families and meet health-related expenses.

The union said workers had remained patient because of repeated assurances from the government, Bank of Ghana, and international partners that the outstanding financial sector clean-up issues would be addressed.

It cited several public statements by the Bank of Ghana Governor between 2022 and 2025 regarding efforts to resolve problems involving distressed financial institutions.

📰 Source: Joy Online Ghana