I’ll work with stakeholders to amend labour law — Pelpuo

The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment designate, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, has said he will work with stakeholders to amend the Labour Law to capture emerging technological changes in the world of work.

He said it was necessary to have such a legal frame to recapture work changes such as the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“Owing to changes in the workspace, we must have the Labour Act amended,” he said.
 

Work condition

Appearing before the Appointments Committee yesterday, Dr Pelpuo pledged to work to ensure that every worker had fair conditions of service.

He said he would work with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to ensure that workers received the right remunerations per their output.

“I have full confidence in the FWSC to ensure that we get the best out of what we put in our workforce,” he said.

He, however, proposed that the FWSC should be renamed the Bureau of Remunerations and Productivity.

Dr Pelpuo added that he would introduce a system known as the Labour Market Information System where all vacancies available in the public sector would be published to allow people to apply.

He took the opportunity to encourage the private sector to be part of publishing all vacancies into the information system.

24-hour economy

On the 24-hour Economy policy, he said the policy would largely be driven by its need expressing the belief that several organisations had the need for the policy but did not have the ability, capacity, support and direction from the government.

“We are targeting organisations that are willing to increase production by increasing employment and engaging young people.

“For some government organisations it will be backed by policy direction but for a private business it will be a choice,” he said.

He explained that the 24-hour Economy policy would not just be a choice by the worker but a policy decision by the state to ensure businesses operating 24 hours could be supported.

He promised to provide adequate security and capacity which were a challenge for businesses operating 24 hours.

“We will support them with the security, capacity and enough money to pay for electricity to boost production, create more opportunity for people to work and ensure that we reshape the economy in a manner that is work and production-based,” he said.

He added that the policy would be supported by providing the necessary incentives for businesses to function effectively and to increase production.

Labour Act

Dr Pelpuo assured the committee to enforce the Labour Act to protect children involved in hard labour and punish agencies which took advantage of people under the pretence of providing jobs.

He further gave the assurance that he would work with relevant stakeholders to address labour issues such as strike actions in the country.

To harmonise labour policies, he stressed the need for a system where productivity and compensation align, ensuring that every worker’s output is worth the pay he or she received.

“It is essential to establish a structure where every worker’s output justifies their pay. But I have full confidence in the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission as an institution capable of harmonising policies to maximise workforce efficiency,” he added.

When asked if the government has plans for increasing the salaries of public sector workers, Dr Pelpuo said the matter was one of the key areas under consideration and when approved he would prioritise efforts to review and improve salary structures. 

National Service Scheme

Responding to concerns about the attractiveness of the National Service Scheme (NSS), particularly, regarding allowances and job content, the Minister designate indicated that while the NSS was not directly under his ministry, he would support any measures that improved allowances for Ghanaian service personnel.

Dr Pelpuo also pledged to work with relevant authorities to ensure fair conditions for service personnel.

He also emphasised the constitutional responsibility to provide fair employment conditions, citing Article 24(1) of the Ghanaian Constitution, which mandates safety, health and fair treatment for workers.

Pension

Responding to the disparity in pension structures, particularly the existence of the Cap 30 system, Mr Pelpuo said a standardised pension structure would reduce controversy and prevent different institutions from negotiating separate terms.

He indicated his willingness to work towards unifying pension schemes, saying,” A uniform approach would be beneficial.”

When asked whether he would actively pursue pension unification, he said “When approved I will go in favour of unification. If it aligns with the ministry’s policy direction, I will advocate it.”

Regarding concerns on the Single Spine Salary Structure, Dr Pelpuo said the issue was key, and still under negotiation and that he would seek support and collaboration with labour industry stakeholders to arrive at a satisfactory review of the structure.