The government is committed to engaging in more social dialogues to ensure a stable labour front in the country, says Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
According to him, such social dialogues were necessary, especially in the era where the country had witnessed some challenges on the labour front, including strikes and threats of strikes amidst economy devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I can say without doubt that such effective social dialogue such as these between government, employers and workers would lead to sound industrial relations for prioritising social justice, economic growth and improving working conditions,” he said.
Dr Bawumia was speaking at the closing of the two-day maiden National Labour Conference on the theme “Strengthening tripartism for building peaceful labour relations and resilient economy,” held at Kwahu Nkwatia in the Eastern Region last Tuesday.
The conference was meant to reinforce a tripartite conversation on the dynamics and happenings on the labour front for timely policy response.
Topics including the state of the economy, conditions of service of public sector workers, Public sector salaries, Labour productivity , Labour dispute prevention dissolution and Sustainable pension for all were discussed at the conference.
The Vice President stated that as an instrument of good governance, tripartism created an enabling environment for the realisation of national objectives, including decent work for all.
He said to ensure a resilient economy, there was the need for a cordial relationship among the tripartite, to build and promote good governance, build consensus and shape policies towards a resilient national development.
“I affirm the political will, trust and commitment on the part of government to engage more in such social dialogues based on the respect for the fundamental rights of workers and employers,” the Vice President stated.
Dr Bawumia thanked the Ministry of Employment for organising such conference and thanked the tripartite constituents for their immense support given to government in the negotiation and consultation, adding that it would create conducive relationship among tripartite fraternity.
Speaking on digitisation, the Vice President called on the National Labour Commission (NLC) to digitise their operations in order to be able to work effectively.
According to him, the NLC digitising their operations would enable them respond promptly to complaints lodged by workers’ groups and employers.
“Currently, when labour groups want to lodge complaints, they will have to come from far places to the offices of the NLC in Accra to do so and this impedes the NLC effectiveness and efficiency to address complaints, hence, the need to digitise,” he stated.
Reading a communiqué issued at the end of the conference, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, stated that the National Labour Conference asked the government to review the single spine policy to address the current issues of salary inequities, inequalities, weak salary administration and weak management of conditions of service.
They urged the government to constitute a technical committee by end of this month to undertake a preliminary review of the single spine policy, including cost implications and advice the government on how to address the issues.
“The review should be aligned to the next budget cycle and, therefore, government should develop a roadmap for the implementation of the revised pay policy,” he read.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KWAHU-NKWATIA
