'Leverage ADRs to resolve labour agitations'

Labour consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Gamey and Gamey Group, Austin Gamey, says the country has failed to implement its Labour Law extensively and this accounts for the intermittent cases of labour agitation and social unrest.

He said Ghana has unique laws to foster effective dispute resolution, but social parties are not making maximum use of them to forestall disputes in the country

The situation, he said, is worsened by the lack of professionals with the requisite knowledge and negotiation skills to settle social unrests through appropriate dispute resolution.

“Labour conflicts are the easiest to resolve; what we lack is right bits of knowledge and negotiation skills to deploy appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms to settle such cases when they arise.

“Although the country has unique laws to ensure that disputes are settled amicably through mediation, social parties have not been able to make maximum use of that law.

“Ghanaians now resort to the courts for cases involving chieftaincy, land litigation and marriages which could ideally be settled through ADR,” he told journalists at the opening session for the 17th batch of students who have enrolled to pursue Professional Executive Masters in Appropriate Dispute Resolution at the Gamey and Gamey Academy of Mediation.

Mr. Gamey advised that cases relating to chieftaincy, land litigation and marriages should ideally be settled through mediation, instead of the norm whereby affected parties prefer to spend time and monies seeking court settlement.

He said Ghanaians are gradually embracing the appropriate dispute resolution culture, but more needs to be done in the area of sensitisation and capacity building.

“I think there is need for extensive education on ADR, which is the easiest and most cost effective way of settling disputes…especially now that Ghanaians are embracing the culture.

‘Mediation requires skills and a professional attitude, which underlines the need to train professionals who can handle disputes appropriately when they come up,” he said. Gamey and Gamey Academy of Mediation (GGAM) is the market leader in consultancy and training in appropriate dispute resolution, industrial relations and human resource management.

The Academy is manned by experts in various fields who deliver cutting-edge solutions to clients’ problems.