The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has accused the Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC) of obstructing the conclusion of the process and the adoption of a draft committee to establish proper organized labor structures.
The GFL alleges that instead of building appropriate structures for Organized Labour, the TUC has taken a reactive and ad hoc approach to labor issues.
Mr. Abraham Koomson, the Secretary General of the GFL, emphasized that the TUC is not synonymous with Organized Labour. He stated that the TUC’s legal representation of all workers in Ghana was revoked with the amendment of the Industrial Relations Act (1960), Act 299.
According to Mr. Koomson, the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651) replaced the TUC with Organized Labour, but it did not specify the structure and organogram of Organized Labour, which the TUC has exploited.
The GFL believes that establishing proper organized labor structures would allow labor to effectively address the concerns of workers. Organized Labour, as defined by the laws of Ghana, represents a collective body of recognized and independent labor unions, federations, and associations working together for the common interests of workers in the country.
To address this issue, the GFL pursued legal action, but the court advised them to seek a settlement. The resulting terms of settlement required the TUC and GFL to collaborate on defining organized labor, establishing an organogram for decision-making, and developing a timetable for adoption by all labor unions.
A nine-member committee, including representatives from various labor unions, was formed and produced a draft document covering the settlement’s terms. This document outlined the scope of organized labor cooperation, objectives, membership, governance structure, meetings, funding, and leadership functions.
In a letter dated June 20, 2023, the GFL urged the TUC to expedite the deliberations on formalizing organized labor structures to enable effective collective action and address workers’ concerns. Labor unions are scheduled to convene on July 17 to discuss the GFL’s concerns and other labor-related issues.
