Journalists urged to be advocates of decent work

Journalists have been urged to work towards strengthening advocacy to help eradicate exploitative work while promoting decent work conditions.

The National Project Coordinator for the 8.7 Accelerator Lab Project, Emmanuel Kwame Mensah, who made the call, said journalists owed it a responsibility to advocate the right legislations that promote better and decent work conditions for all and ensure dignity in labour.

Such efforts, he said, should aim towards ensuring that duty bearers were committed to removing all forms of work violations while promoting safe, healthy and secure work environments for workers through appropriate legislation.

Mr Mensah made the call during a media training session organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW) in Takoradi.

The workshop particularly looked at the International Labour Organisation’s Work in Fishing Convention (C188), which was recently ratified by Ghana and its implications on fishers’ safe and decent work conditions.

Decent work

The convention sets a global standard for decent work in the fishing sector and Ghana's ratification ensures that Ghana commits to upholding labour rights that guarantee safe and healthy working conditions, fair recruitment practices and payment and social security issues.

The ILO's Work in Fishing Convention also seeks to ensure the protection and well-being of fishers who are critical to the country’s socio-economic development.

The workshop for 30 journalists from different groups aimed at equipping participants to report effectively on issues related to decent work and the elimination of forced labour, especially in the fisheries.

It was attended by journalists from the Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western regions and would equip them to effectively advocate decent work.

Advocates

Mr Mensah urged the media professionals to become advocates of decent work and to expose the ills of exploitative labour practices while seeking commitment from duty bearers towards safe and decent work.

He stressed that labour rights violations still existed in the fisheries sector, asking journalists to raise awareness of such and advocate policies that protect workers.

"Workers are not commodities and must not be treated as commodities in their work environments. Every effort must be made to protect them from exploitative work environments and conditions," he stated.

He urged the media not only to inform but also to engage in the fight against forced labour, promoting decent working conditions that foster national development.

In Ghana’s fishing industry alone, over 128,000 fishers work under severely compromised conditions.

Reports of forced labour, debt bondage, wage withholding, and abusive practices are widespread. 

According to Mr Mensah, this form of exploitation not only violated fundamental labour rights but also posed a threat to food security for millions of people worldwide who relied on the fishing industry.

Mr Mensah encouraged journalists’ groups to work harder towards a future where decent work would be the norm, forced labour would be reduced to its barest if not eradicated, and the workforce would be empowered to contribute to sustainable socio-economic growth and development.