The Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has urged the government to equip labour regulatory bodies with the authority to fight prevailing unfair work practices. 

According to Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, equipping these agencies adequately will ensure that the Ghanaian worker is not denied benefits such as annual leave, overtime allowance, employment contract, maternity leave and unionising.

He was dddressing this year’s May Day parade at the Black Star Square in Accra under the theme “Sustainable Pensions for all: The Role of Social Partners.”

Dr Baah said, “We in Organised Labour hold the view that these unfair labour practices are being perpetuated by some employers, who know that the state institutions such as Factory Inspectorate, Labour Department, and National Labour Commission, cannot enforce compliance because they do not have the resources.”

He urged the President, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, the special guest at the labour parade, to provide the necessary logistical, financial and human resources to these state institutions to perform their duties effectively.

May 1 or Workers Day is a Public Holiday across the world and is observed with a parade in Ghana.

The day is traditionally set aside to celebrate workers and to also draw attention to the many challenges workers are bedevilled with.

This year’s May Day coincides with the centenary celebration of the International Labour Organisation.

Dr Baah also used the occasion to call on the government to facilitate a review of the country’s labour laws which he described as moribund and a colonial relic.

“The current labour laws are not providing adequate protection for workers particularly in terms of job security, income security and health and safety,” he said.

According to him, the Trade Union Congress is trusting the government to provide the necessary support to the Ministries of Employment and Labour Relations, Justice and Attorney General’s Department and Parliament to “facilitate the review process.”