Gold has long been one of the most valuable resources produced in the Gold Coast colony. Southern miners formed the Gold Coast Mines Employees Union in 1944 as an attempt to represent all miners from all regions of the Gold Coast colony. However, many of the mineworkers came from the poorer and less educated Ashante region and were suspicious of the leaders from the more educated South. By 1946 the increased cost of living and drop in real wages that marked the war years still had not subsided.

Union membership was at only 7% in 1945 but by 1947 the Gold Coast Mines Employees Union had come to represent all mineworkers in the colony but held particularly strong sway over workers employed by the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation. Through 1946 union leaders realized that they had to pursue more agressive negotiation policies to win over workers and by 1947 had become convinced that a general strike of all mineworkers had to be organized. Inspired by strikes in South Africa, the union leaders decided to act.

On February 10, 1947 a general strike of all mineworkers began. The demands were simple, increased minimum wages of 2s/6d-3s/0d for underground workers and 2s/0d-2s/6d for surface workers, on a par with the award given by the Korsah Committee to government workers a year earlier. In addition to the pay improvement, a 45-hour week is demanded alongside overtime rates, two weeks' annual paid leave for workers with at least a year's employment, up to a month's paid sick leave per annum and gratuities for those who were forced to leave work due to bad health or who left after serving five years or more.

The strike, should it get out of hand, could cripple the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation and can seriously damage the gold trade in the British Empire.