Improving Business Practice (IBP), the organization managing the Ghana Business Code (GHBC), on Wednesday stepped up its awareness programmes to educate the business sector and the public on the Code and recent changes made to it. IBP is currently introducing several activities to intensify its public education campaigns through the mass media as well as personal and small group communication activities to reach and get greater number of companies to sign on to the idea. Mr. Johnson Oduro, IBP Manager, told the media in an interaction in Accra to provide updates in the development of the Code, which was started in 2006, that the move was in line with the organizations’ commitment to facilitate best practices among the business community. He said it was important that the business community and the public appreciated the need for businesses to operate by a set of standards that created trust between an enterprise and its stakeholders. The GHBC is a voluntary code involving a set of norms developed by the three main business associations in Ghana - Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Ghana Employers’ Association - intended to guide the conduct of business operations. The code outlines acceptable corporate socially responsible standards regarding human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. It also gives companies a recognition that broadens business opportunities, both internationally and locally, for business growth. About 120 companies have signed onto the code. Denmark is supporting the development and implementation of the code. Mr Oduro said based on a stakeholder review of the code, it was amended to get businesses to support and respect the protection of the rights to work by providing a contract, that details job duties, payment, hours of work, holidays and holiday payment when employing someone for more than two months. The change, he said, was to reflect what was termed as appointment. The amendment to the code stipulates that businesses should support and respect the protection of the right to family life by offering, where necessary, paid compassionate leave on grounds of parental responsibility, ill health, child birth and death. Mr Oduro said in subsequent months, the IBP would be working with industry to increase their appreciation and motivate them not only to sign onto the code but to also implement it. He said the IBP would be involved in thematic issues like gender, transparency, organizational health and safety and HIV/AIDS and focus on assisting enterprises in policy development. Source: GNA