The minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Enoch Teye Mensah has reiterated that government would not take workers for a ride, assuring that his ministry would improve their working conditions. He bemoaned the way certain employers exploit their staff by exposing them to all forms of hazards and woefully underpaying them, adding that there is already a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his ministry and the International Labour Organization to handle issues related to Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL) and other exploitative tendencies by 2016. Speaking at a day's workshop in Accra to disseminate the Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System (GCLMS), the minister hinted that a data base system is being put in place to achieve those aspirations. Hon. Mensah cited some private institutions, including the private media, whose staff is paid very meager salaries, pointing out that as part of efforts to halt those things, the ministry would expand its media wing, Project Monitoring Unit and task force. He thanked development partners that were assisting the ministry to eliminate WFCL. Contributing, the Chief Technical Advisor of ILO-Ghana, Francesco d'Ovidio noted that according to the 2008 global ILO estimates on child labour, 215 million children were engaged in child labour, with 115 million of them being trapped in hazardous occupations. He said even though the trend had declined by about 10 per cent, he was concerned about the attainment of the 2016 target. "Ghana is one of the countries in the region which has taken action to attain the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016. It has formulated the National Plan of Action to eliminate child labour, which is and must be high on the agenda of government and the social partners". He described the GCLMS as the ultimate tool to combat child labour in an effective and sustainable way “as it allows the countries to independently monitor the evolution of child labour and to plan accordingly." He congratulated Ghana for her efforts and genuine commitment to the cause, stressing that the process could be redefined and Standardized. For her part, the Chief of the Political Section of the US Embassy in Ghana, Vernelle Trim said both Ghana and the US share common values when it comes to child protection. According to her, even though it is right for children to help their parents at home, such help should not go to the extent of keeping the children out of school. Representatives from UNICEF, GTUC and the Ghana Employers Association were also at the workshop. Source: Daily Guide