Govt must protect rights of informal sector workers — TUC boss

The General Secretary of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, has appealed to the government to initiate policies that will protect the rights of informal sector workers.

“Workers in the informal economy are unprotected and confronted daily with the challenges of discrimination. Many of them are subjected to physical abuse by their employers; they have no say in decisions that affect them, such as wages, health and safety at their workplaces; some of them are forced to work longer periods without rest under inhumane conditions; majority work without income and job security, and they lack access to sick leave with pay, annual leave with pay, retirement benefits and pension,” he said.

Mr Asamoah made the appeal  at the third TUC informal economy conference in Accra Wednesday. It was organised by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

The conference brought together informal sector workers from all the 10 regions offered participants the platform to discuss prospects of the informal sector of the economy in the country.

It was also meant for the participants to dialogue on possible ways of strengthening and improving the sector.

Mr Asamoah said despite the large contribution informal sector workers made to the economic growth and development of Ghana, nothing much had been done to regulate and improve their situation.

“In terms of programmes and policies, the national and local government needed to recognise the existence of informal economy workers and recognise their economic and social contributions by adopting measures and policies that will enable these workers to improve on their working conditions and protect their rights as workers, including social protection and representation,” he said.

In order to safeguard the rights of informal workers, Mr Asamoah said, efforts must be made to protect them from harassment by the police, local authorities, employers and contractors.

He said it was important for the government to promote organisation, representation and social dialogue among the most vulnerable groups in the informal economy.

That, he said, would be one critical factor in assuring greater involvement and participation of informal economy workers at the policy level.

Mr Asamoah said the TUC would encourage informal workers to sensitise members to the importance of having a collective voice and promoting fundamental principles and the right to work.

He, however, urged informal sector workers to step up their efforts as trade unions to bring the informal economy and all other workers into the labour movement.