Since Sunday 21 January 2024, workers at the Houndé Gold mine have been staging a strike that has brought operations to a standstill. The protest was joined by workers from subcontracting companies. Several negotiations have been held, but the demonstrators are sticking to their demands, the main ones being the dismissal of General Manager Adama Savadogo and 8 others.
Houndé Gold’s managers considered that the cessation of activities without prior notice was illegal. On 26 January 2024, they applied to the Bobo-Dioulasso court for a summary injunction. They pointed out the illegality of the movement initiated on 21 January 2024. Yesterday, 29 January 2024, the Bobo-Dioulasso court summoned the delegates to attend the trial.
On 30 January 2024 at 15:00, the Bobo-Dioulasso Labour Court handed down an order in the context of this summary procedure. The court ordered the cessation of the disturbances at Houndé Gold. It ordered the eviction of the demonstrators from the site, subject to a fine of 25,000 FCFA per hour of delay and per demonstrator, with effect from 15:00 today.
Management reacted to the order by saying: “We are delighted that this enforceable decision has been taken quickly to put an end to the illegal occupation of the workplace and its surroundings, and to the disturbances caused by the illegal work stoppage initiated on 21 January 2024”.
Adama Savadogo, Director of Houndé Gold, sent a message to the mine’s workers in the following terms: “We remind you that any person who refuses to comply and leave the site and its surroundings without delay, or who prevents employees from resuming work, may be subject to legal penalties for discrediting a court order, under Article 352-3 of the Criminal Code”.
The management of Houndé Gold informs that as of tomorrow morning, a process server will be present on site to ensure that the aforementioned order is enforced. “I know that I can count on your individual and collective responsibility to ensure that operations resume smoothly from tomorrow morning. Your safety remains our top priority, and I would like to remind you of the importance of following our briefing protocol and the preventive measures to be taken to avoid any incidents when you return to work. I thank you for your understanding and look forward to being by your side as operations resume”, says Adama Savadogo.
Pierre Balma
Mines_Actu_Burkina