Protecting rights of casual workers

The matter of casual employment in the country is widespread as a result of growing unemployment levels. By the nature of the labour market, there is no way that the issue of casual workers can become a thing of the past.

The canon, however, relates to the growing incidents of casual workers who, instead of being considered for work on a temporary basis, are engaged for quite a long period.

The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for an immediate end to the practice whereby many employers engage casual workers on a long-term basis.

At a forum to mark the World Day on Decent Work in Accra last Tuesday, the Secretary General of the TUC, Mr Kofi Asamoah, said in Ghana, it was now common to find skilled, professional and unskilled workers engaged as casuals for more than five to six years without being engaged permanently.

Employment opportunities are drying up at most workplaces, especially in the public sector, due mainly to the economic problems confronting the country. Even the private sector has difficulty engaging school leavers on a large-scale to work in their establishments.

The security agencies that have the capacity to engage many young people as recruits cannot cope with the pressure because of the numbers that are graduating from the secondary and the tertiary levels.

Our search has revealed that there is no specific International Labour Organisation (ILO) instrument which protects casual or temporary workers.

Casual workers are classified as workers who are called in to work only as and when they are needed, for which reason the working hours of a casual employee fluctuate and are dependent on the magnitude of work.

There is also a feeling that both employers and employees recognise that there are some benefits in the practice. Any employer who wants to meet seasonal needs prefer this arrangement, while employees, especially the youth and student workers, look forward to casual work, which gives them experience  for access to the labour market.

But, generally, it is believed that casual workers have lower productivity, a high turnover rate, little job security, a feeling of dissatisfaction and no benefits such as pension or paid leave.

Even though there may not be any specific ILO position on casual workers, the ILO Committee of Experts has reiterated time and again that ILO Conventions and Recommendations have general application unless otherwise specified. Therefore, the ILO Convention enjoins employers to respect the rights of casual workers.

The Daily Graphic is aware of the rather austere phase of our economic development, where we are faced with growing unemployment, low productivity and high interest rates, but it is imperative that the stakeholders try to play by the rules in order to eliminate or reduce social tension.

The Daily Graphic appeals to organised labour and employers to dialogue on the issue, so that casual workers too can enjoy the rights enjoyed by regular employees.