NLC opens office, inaugurates Greater Accra Regional Committee

The National Labour Commission has opened its Greater Accra Regional office in Tema, and inaugurated a three-member Committee to handle labour-related issues in the Region.

The Committee Members are: Mr Akature Ania, employers’ representative, Mr Samuel Dortey Larnyoh, organized labour representative and Dr Charles Y. Brempong-Yeboah, government representative.

They were sworn into office by Mr Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, a Tema High Court Judge, who led them to take the oaths of office, and secrecy.

The Regional Committee would facilitate the settlement of industrial disputes, settle industrial disputes, and refer to mediation and arbitration industrial dispute by allowing disputing parties to select mediators and arbitrators from the database of the Commission.

They would also investigate labour-related complaints, in particular, unfair labour practices and take steps to prevent labour disputes, as well as promote effective labour co-operation between labour and management.

Mr Andrew K. Asamoah, Chairperson of the National Labour Commission, in an inaugural address, said the newly opened Greater Accra Regional office was the third Regional Office of the Commission, with Kumasi and Takoradi having one each.

Mr Asamoah said the regional offices would ensure the achievement of the vision of the promulgators of the Labour Law to have a flexible and affordable legal regime for labour adjudication.

He noted that even though the Commission had its fair share of funding challenges, it was discharging its business of ensuring industrial stability and harmony for the protection of investments and job creation for the growth of the Ghanaian economy.

He disclosed that the NLC had handled over 1.2 million cases in its 15 years of existence, indicating that it received an average of 80 to 120 reports daily.

“From the records of complaints filed with the Commission, the yearly complaints have been ranging between 750-900 cases resulting in over 1.2 million complaints cumulatively since the establishment of the Commission, ”he said.

He stated that in 2018 and 2019, the Commission recorded 905 and 815 complaints respectively, out of which complaints against unfair termination were 222 for 2018, and 202 for 2019, which represented 25 per cent of the total number of complaints filed.

“This is a major source of concern to us as a Commission because it has adverse effect both on the employee who should otherwise have been in gainful employment being thrown out unfairly, and the employer who is also losing resources in having to pay compensations for no services rendered”.

Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, in a speech read on his behalf, commended the Commission for opening an office in Tema, especially because of its industrial landscape which he reiterated would lessen its workload at the head office.

Mr Awuah also commended the NLC for its great work in ensuring a conducive labour front, and urged the newly sworn-in Committee members to be committed to their mandate for the betterment of Ghana.

The Ghana Employers Association, Ghana Trades Union Congress and Ghana Federation of Labour reiterated the importance of the NLC in labour issues but bemoaned the lack of funds, under staffing, lack of accommodation among others.

They said those factors negatively affected the work of the Commission leading to delays in the handling of cases and enforcement of its decisions on parties.