Engage employers on job security- Minister directs Tripartite Committee

The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, has expressed concern over the increasing rate at which employers engage workers on fixed-term contracts.

He said the phenomenon made it impossible for such workers to form unions and bargain for better working conditions.

Fixed-term contract workers are usually engaged for periods ranging between two weeks and two years by companies and the contracts are subject to renewal on expiration.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic after a four-day tour of some companies in the Western Region as part of efforts to ensure that corporate institutions comply with the Labour Act 2003 (Acts 651), the minister said he had directed the National Tripartite Committee (NTC) to dialogue with employers on the issue to ensure job security and avoid situations where workers’ welfare was neglected.

The directive, he explained, was important because job sustainability for the worker was a cardinal requirement for ensuring that the country met the decent work agenda requirements by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The companies he visited included Anglo Gold Ashanti, Tarkwa; Goldfields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa; the Ghana Manganese Company, Nsuta; Wangkang Ceramics Company Limited, the Takoradi International Company Limited and Ghana Rubber Estates Limited, all in Takoradi.

Others are Samartex Timber and Plywood Company Limited at Samreboi and the Ghana Bauxite Company at Awaso.

Mr Baffour-Awuah said the tour also afforded him the opportunity to familiarise and acquaint himself with the labour practices at the enterprise level on the field.

It also sought to promote social dialogue, the rights of workers and the social partnership among the government, employers and organised labour for harmonious labour relations in the country, he noted.

Among the core issues discussed during the visits were the condition of workers in terms of health and safety, types of contracts, pension-related matters, remuneration and gender mainstreaming.

Worry

The minister said he learnt that some companies, such as Wangkang Ceramics, KEDA (Twyford) Ceramics, Ghana Rubber Estates and Ghana Bauxite Company engaged their employees on fixed-contract terms.

 Mr Perry Acheampong (left), Corporate Manager of Ghana Rubber Estates Limited, taking Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah (2nd right) and other members of the delegation through the operations of the company 

Rights of workers

He noted that the right of workers to form unions and access information through improved social dialogue and engagement at the workplace was a priority for the ministry.

“The fixed-term contract did not give room for job security and the formation of unions and must be regulated to ensure job security and sustainability. My responsibility as the Employment Minister is to protect the rights

of the worker and so I will not sit down and watch if workers are not allowed to unionise,” he stated.

During the minister’s interaction with workers, he found out that the salary range for fixed-term contract workers was between GH¢400 and GH¢700, which he described as woefully inadequate and implored the management of the companies engaged in the practice to ensure that workers’ salaries and conditions of service were improved through the engagement of workers and their representatives.

Making the welfare of employees a priority, he said, would ensure harmonious labour relations.

He was accompanied by some senior officials of the ministry, including the Chief Labour Officer, the Western Regional Labour Officer, the Tripartite Coordinator, the Industrial Relations Officer and other labour officers and social partners.

Impressed

At the end of the tour, Mr Baffour-Awuah said he was impressed with the health and safety measures practised by most of the companies visited and stated that safety precautions should be an integral component of operations for workers and visitors.

Some of the managers told the minister that workers were taken through health and safety procedures on a regular and routine basis.

On the issue of gender mainstreaming, Mr Baffour-Awuah noted that the management of the companies were mostly male dominated and advised the companies to improve upon their recruitment and selection methods to ensure that women were given opportunities and supported to grow in some of the areas that were dominated by males.

The minister described the visit as an eye-opening experience for him and urged employers to operate within the remit of the laws of Ghana, especially the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).