On 25th March 2025, the Director of Koidu Limited, Mr. GustafFredrik Bodin, wrote the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius D Mattai, notifying him of a decision to immediately suspend production and transition its operations into “care and maintenance” under the Mines and Minerals Act 2022.
The Director states reasons of emergency circumstances culminating from what he refers to as “unresolved illegal industrial actions,” noting the severe impact these actions have on the company’s operational viability and employment safety.
Gustaf, therefore, seeks the minister’s immediate and authoritative intervention to rectify the situation.
In the letter of notice, Gustaf pinpoints the illegality of the ongoing strike action, citing its contravention of multiple provisions of the Industrial Relations and Trade Union Act 2024.
He maintains that for a strike action to be lawful, the Act mandates formal notice, including other condition precedents and qualifying credentials, but says that the employees and their union representatives have failed to adhere to these requirements which makes their actions unlawful.
According to him, several reports from their personnel have confirmed employees who wish to resume their duties are facing severe intimidation and threats, thereby depriving them of their lawful right to work.
Gustaf also makes reference to the Employment Act 2023 which underscores the employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe working environment, a requirement that he said has become unattainable due to these unlawful disruptions and the growing tensions.
Pursuant to the Industrial and Trade Union Act 2024, he notes, any industrial dispute should be formally reported to the Commissioner of Labour for resolution, but says despite multiple attempts to resolve this issue through the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security in accordance with the Industrial Relations and Trade Union Act, 2024, the dispute remained unresolved.
Gustaf says there has also been a lack of decisive action from the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security in addressing these clear violations of the primary legislation regulating the employment sector, necessitating the invocation of their rights under the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2022, adding that the Industrial Relations and Trade Union Act, 2024, makes provisions for employer’s rights in response to unlawful strikes, including the ability to impose a lockout, emphasising therefore, that due to the extreme nature of the current disruptions and external interference, they have opted a transition to care and maintenance as a more prudent course of action.
Director Gustaf says in line with the Mines and Minerals Development Act No 16, 2022, on the suspension of production of license holders, the circumstances enumerated herein form the emergency circumstances on which this notice of operations suspension is issued.
He states that in addition to the aforementioned, the situation is exacerbated by external political interference, notably by the First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, who stands blamed for advising workers against returning to work.
Gustaf says as a direct consequence, therefore, carrying on their company’s operations has become untenable despite the intervention of the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security to amicably resolve the issues.
“We seek your immediate and authoritative intervention to rectify this situation, ensuring compliance with statutory provisions and restoring conditions suitable for the lawful and safe resumption of operations. We assure you of our complete cooperation and remain ready to engage constructively with your Ministry and relevant stakeholders,” Gustaf concludes.
Meanwhile, a firebrand human rights activist and legal luminary, Yasmin Jusu Sheriff, has nitpicked the First Lady over what she refers to as her “bungling and incompetent attempts to interfere with foreign direct investment and investors” for which President Bio has been engaging in incessant foreign travels all these 8 years, spending vast sums of poor Sierra Leoneans’ trying to drum up.
“What a squandering of our national time and resources!” Sheriff exclaims, and queries: “How could our Government and Ruling SLPP stand by while one (1) Untrained and Unqualified individual turns herself into a One Person wrecking ball of highly sensitive industrial relations situations?”
Yasmin Jusu Sheriff doesn’t also lose sight on the sinful dumbness and inertia of the Opposition All Peoples’ Congress (APC) party in the face of the ruling party’s wrongdoings, and queries thus: “…where is the so called Official Opposition APC in all this?”
“Busy fighting amongst themselves for what everyone else can see is nonsense,” she derides.
“Who has taken time out to express the slightest concern or worry over how the miners and their families are being misused and their livelihoods being destroyed by One Person’s insistence that a whole nation should be nothing more than a film set for her personal melodrama? What Endgame is really being played here? And when will this Nonsense be Stopped?” are questions further asked by Yasmin Jusu Sherrif, all begging for direct answers!