National Labour Commission calls on employers and workers to ensure peaceful industrial relations climate

Accra, Jan. 3 - The National Labour Commission has called on employers and workers to cooperate with the Commission in a collective effort to maintain a peaceful industrial relations climate this year.

The Commission said efforts to maintain a peaceful industrial relations climate would require that employment relations are guided by the provisions of the Labour Law.

In a New Year message the Commission said last year witnessed a number of strikes and lockouts resulting from a lack of understanding of the Labour Law, in particular, the dispute settlement procedures.

To overcome this, the Commission is intensifying its public education on the Law this year in the hope that increased awareness of the Law would translate into changing attitudes to the practice of industrial relations.

“Unless there is substantial attitudinal change on the part of the social partners, the vision that guided their collaboration for the enactment of a new Labour Law would never be attained,” the Commission said.

The Commission said among the petitions it received last year were those on the refusal of some employers to permit their workers to form trade unions, non-maintenance of statutory standards on occupational health and safety, and the failure of some workers to protect the interests of their employers.

Understanding the Labour Law, the Commission hopes, would contribute in reducing the  such infringements that are responsible for industrial disagreements, the message said..

The Commission urged employers and workers to strive to deepen their social partnership by showing mutual respect for their respective rights and responsibilities. In this way productivity would be enhanced for increased profitability and creation of new jobs. 

J.K. Bapuuroh

Ag. Executive Secretary

Issued by the Public Affairs Department