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| THE LABOUR ACT 2003, ACT 651 AND THE NLC | | | 16/09/2005 | | |  | BACKGROUND:
Before the coming into force of the Labour Act 2003, Act 651, the Industrial Relations Act, 299 of 1965 and the Labour Decree of 1967, NLCD 157 were the laws governing industrial relations in the country, as well as other laws scattered in various pieces of legislation. During this time, industrial relations matters and disputes settlement were the preserve of the Ministry of Labour who did this through its Labour Department headed by the Chief Labour Officer. | The process of consultation on the development of a new national labour law started in 1995.
In 1995 and under the leadership of the then Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr. David Sarpong Boateng, who was also the Chairman of the National Tripartite Committee (NTC), the idea to codify all the laws relating to labour was developed. The process of consultations then began that same year.
Opanin Patrick Obeng-Fosu, a retired Chief Labour Officer was contracted to put together all the laws on industrial relations into one single document. Upon submission of the draft, a Cabinet Memorandum titled Draft Labour Bill and signed by the Minister, Hon. D.S. Boateng was submitted to Cabinet on the 29th March, 1996. Cabinet in a letter dated 30th July, 1996 approved the Memorandum on the draft bill.
The 1st Stakeholders Meeting was organized by the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare with sponsorship by Friedrich Ebert Foundation, a German NGO to officially initiate the process of consultations at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra from 8-10 October 1996. However, the other two social partners Employers and Organized Labour boycotted the meeting after the opening formalities, with the explanation that, there had been inadequate consultations. The programme was subsequently postponed. |
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