By: Justice Appiah
29-8-2024
Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah has disclosed that the sector has made a tremendous progress towards delivering improved services to the general public.
According to him, the labour front has been relatively peaceful and stable with the tirelessly collective effort of social partners. He said, over the last seven and half years, the ministry with the support of key stakeholders has resolved all industrial disputes that threaten peace and security in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing organised by the Ministry of Information, Mr. Baffuor Awuah said the ministry has enjoyed fruitful collaborations from social partners through the National Tripartite Committee, Social Partnership Council and the National Labour Conference.
He added that the National Labour conference served as the highest level of engagement among the tripartite constituents on issues of national interest. He stressed that as a result of discussions held at the National Labour Conference, government commissioned a review of the labour Act 2003 (Act 651) and the single spine pay policy to meet the growing needs of workers.
The Minister further disclosed that through these efforts, public sector workers on the single spine pay salary structure in 2023 received the highest adjustment of the base pay since the introduction of the single spine pay policy in 2010. Within the same period, pensioners on the SSNIT pension payroll also had their monthly pension indexed upward by twenty-five percent.
“The 25% increment represents the highest pension indexation since the introduction of the contributory three tie pension scheme in 2008. These adjustments reflect government’s commitment to maintaining high levels of income for both workers and pensioners alike,” he stressed.
Mr. Baffuor Awuah indicated that last year, the fair wages and salary commission conducted a nationwide payroll monitoring, an exercise which covered 120 public sector institutions consisting of 97 MMDAS, 6 universities and 17 others. Analysis of the 2023 payroll data from the Controller and Accountant’s General Department showed a reduction in the wage bill by over 345 million.
The Member of Parliament for Sunyani West constituency further thanked members of the various labour unions for the successful organization of their respective congresses and the election of new leaders to steer the affairs of the unions.
He also commends outgoing union leaders for their corporation with government and wished them well in their future endeavours.
The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations intimated that the ministry has reviewed a number of sector enactments to make the sector to make them comprehensive and suitable for contemporary use. The enactments he said includes the labour act, 2003 (Act 651), Factories Offices and Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970 Act (328) and Co-operatives Societies Act, 1968 (N.L.C.D 252).
He said, in 2003 the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651 was promulgated to regulate the world of work and to promote decent work standards. Major provisions include the provision of public employment centres, regulation of activities of private employment agencies, employment of persons with disabilities and establishment of the national labour commission.
Mr. Baffuor Awuah further stressed that after two decades of implementation of the Act, there have been concerns expressed by social partners occasioned by factors such as exercise of discretion in the interpretation of some aspects of the law, difficulty in implanting some aspects of the law, apparent disconnect with some relevant international labour standards and provisions to respond to emerging issues in the world of work.
He said the coming into force of the Labour Act has however made trade union pluralism possible as well as liberalizing industrial and labour relations. The Labour Act has also provided a responsive legal regime that allowed for more proactive treatment and resolution of labour issues.
The Minister also said the world of work has undergone dramatic changes to the extent that if care is not taken the current labour law may soon not be fit for purpose. As a result, a new Labour Bill 2024 has been developed to consolidate the gains made by Act 651 and if approved by cabinet and subsequently enacted by parliament, the bill will provide prohibited actions of private employment agencies, extension of maternity leave by an additional two weeks, introduction of paternity leave and protection against violence and harassment in the world of work.