Since Sunday January 21, workers at Houndé Gold Operation, a subsidiary of the Endeavor Mining group, have been observing a work stoppage. This Monday, January 22, it was the turn of the local community to express their dissatisfaction with the company.
Went on strike on Sunday January 21, 2024 at 5 a.m. to demand better living and working conditions, in particular salary increases, the demand for health insurance and a commute bonus according to our colleague from Ouest info.bf, the employees under direct contracts with the mine as well as those in a subcontracting situation, are now demanding the resignation of their General Manager. The latest news is that the list of demands, which revolved around improving living and working conditions, has grown with the departure of the mine’s CEO and some of his colleagues, most of whom are managers of the mine. department which is required before any attempt at negotiation. On the morning of Monday, January 22, 2024, the local community would have in turn submitted a demanding platform vis-à-vis HGO to the High Commissioner of the Tuy province. Note that the claims are addressed to the company as can be seen on the form. In its platform, the local community says it has suffered trauma and chaos for almost six (06) years and can no longer bear to see its life and that of future generations sacrificed. For her, the findings show that the challenge of the Houndé Gold project is more economic than social and environmental.
“Faced with this intolerable situation of ours, here are the demands that we submit for your examination,” we can read in the circular addressed to the management of HGO, a copy of which was given to the High Commissioner of the province of Tuy.
– Employability of young people directly from the impacted local community,
– Professional training for young people from the local community;
– Overexploitation of local nationals in underqualified positions (Working three (03) to four (04) years in the positions without having the contract)
– Empowerment of women through the implementation of micro-projects,
– Vibration of homes and noise pollution linked to blasting and noise from heavy machinery;
– Risk of contamination of crops located near the main road connecting the Houndé site to those of Kari; Bouéré (use of chemicals to make soil);
– risk of flooding of fields located around the said main road (direct discharge of rainwater from the road located at a certain height in relation to the surface of the fields, sometimes creating flooding);
– excessive air pollution following the dust raised by the movement of machines to reach the different pits and that linked to blasting which also contains chemicals such as: ammonia and nitric acid;
– laxity in the implementation of restoration and progressive rehabilitation projects of the various exploited sites… are among others, the demands of the local community against the general management of HGO
Aymeric THIS
