TUC calls for review of ‘colonial’ labour laws

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Ghana has called on the government to review the “colonial” labour laws governing employment in the country.

Dr Yaw Baah, the General Secretary of the TUC made the call at this year’s May Day celebration at the Black Star Square in Accra on the theme; “Sustainable Pension for All.”

Dr Baah said the current labour laws in the country were outdated and could not address the challenges facing the contemporary worker.

“There is the need for a review of the laws governing employment because the current labour laws are not providing adequate protection for workers of Ghana particularly in terms of job security, income security and life and safety,” he said.

He said the Union had made its case known to the National Tripartite Committee for a review of the labour laws especially the National Labour Act to protect the interest of the workers of Ghana.

He appealed to the government to support the necessary state agencies in facilitating a speedy process for a review. 

“We trust that government will provide the necessary support to the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, the Ministry of Justice and Attorney Generals’ Department and the Parliament to facilitate the review process so that we can have Labour Laws that truly protects workers from the prevailing colonial labour practices in some workplaces.”

Dr Baah, however, noted, there were many flaws in the current pension scheme for workers, which needed to be addressed. 

He observed that over 11 million of a 13 million total working aid population in the country, did not have access to pension under Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

He said the ¢300 pension benefits given to about a quarter of the 200,000 pensioners under SSNIT scheme was woefully inadequate.

“This is not acceptable in a rich and proud middle-income country like Ghana. Something has definitely gone wrong in our economic or social policy. Mr President, we will like to appeal to you to correct this flaw in our social policy. We are expecting complete plans on a road map for universal pension coverage in Ghana in the 2020 budget.”

TUC of Ghana is the main umbrella organization for trade union activities in the country. It is made up of 18 affiliations.