The Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) Local Union has accused the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, of attempting to intimidate workers for publicly opposing the government’s proposed strategic equity investor arrangement for the aluminium company.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, July 30, the union expressed disappointment over remarks the minister allegedly made during an engagement with a section of VALCO workers earlier in the day.
According to the union, the minister suggested that because workers receive salaries, they did not want the public to know that VALCO was facing operational challenges. The statement also claimed that the minister criticised workers for speaking to the media against the proposed strategic equity arrangement and directed the company’s Chief Executive Officer to enforce company policies against employees who publicly express their concerns.
The union questioned what it described as double standards, asking why no similar action was taken against individuals associated with the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) who publicly endorsed the proposed investment deal before broader stakeholder consultations had been concluded.
“If speaking publicly in support of the transaction attracts praise, but speaking publicly against it attracts threats of disciplinary action, then we must ask whether the issue is really company policy or an attempt to silence dissent,” the statement said.
The workers also challenged the minister’s assertion that no decision had been taken regarding the selection of a strategic equity investor.
They recalled that on May 4, 2026, the minister, together with the VALCO Board, met with the union and presented a committee report identifying Arch Holdings Limited as the preferred investor for a proposed 70 per cent equity stake in the company.
The union maintained that it had serious concerns about the capacity and suitability of the company and questioned the minister’s claim that the process had not advanced.
The statement further criticised what it described as the minister’s insistence that there was “nothing anybody can do” about the proposed arrangement, arguing that such comments reinforce fears that the transaction has already been predetermined.
The union also drew comparisons with the governing party’s previous opposition to the proposed sale of state assets, including the SSNIT hotels and the Tema Oil Refinery, questioning what had changed.
Rejecting the government’s characterisation of the transaction, the union argued that transferring a 70 per cent equity stake amounts to surrendering controlling ownership of VALCO, regardless of whether it is described as a strategic investment or partnership.
The workers stressed that they are not opposed to investment but are seeking to protect what they described as a strategic national asset.
“We are fighting for Ghana’s interest, VALCO’s future and the generations who will inherit what we decide today. We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced,” the statement declared.
The union urged the government to embrace transparency and accountability, insisting that leadership should be guided by open dialogue rather than suppressing opposing views.
The statement concluded by reaffirming the union’s commitment to defending the interests of workers and preserving VALCO as a strategic national asset for the benefit of Ghana.
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