ET Mensah urges ILO to step up its advocacy role

Accra, July 5, GNA - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has been urged to step up its efforts to achieve coherent and employment-centred policies at the global level.

This would prevent the dehumanisation of domestic workers as they endeavour to make meaningful contributions to the development of their countries.

Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, made the call in Accra on Tuesday at a press conference to report on the recent 100th Session of the International Labour Conference held at Switzerland from June 2-17, this year.

The conference was aimed at addressing ways of improving the international working standard and conditions of domestic workers worldwide towards a new era of social justice.

It was attended by Member States represented by a delegation consisting of government, employers, workers and their respective advisors.

Ghana was represented at the conference by a 65-member delegation, comprising 29 workers, 20 employers, eight Parliamentarians, six Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare officials as well as Ghana's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva.

Mr Mensah said ILO was urged to adopt a recommendation on social protection which would be extended to all workers without political interference next year.

The Sector Minister noted that it was high time the social welfare of workers were protected because most workers were being used as labourers without pay or incentives.

Some of the issues deliberated on included decent work for domestic workers, labour administrative labour inspection, social security for social justice and a fair globalisation and application of ILO Labour Standard.

He said it was discovered that extending social protection was one of the crucial ways to the formulation of informal employment and emphasised that contributory schemes were the cornerstone of sustainable social protection system.

"The delegates at the Conference called for sufficient resources to be devoted to labour administration and inspection services and inspection should be carried out by public authorities to prevent any discrimination," he said.

He stressed that all workers including the informal economy, the public sector, as well as migrants should be covered by labour inspection.

Mr Mensah explained that efforts were being made to address the issue of children's involvement in hazardous work and the measures to ensure that children from poor households had access to education to enable them get a fair share of the national cake.

He noted that the issue of job employment should not be the sole duty of the government but that individuals and institutions could help to curb poverty in the country.

Mr Mensah said tripartite body members from Ghana consisting of government, employers and workers were elected to the Governing Body of ILO for three years whilst the Secretary General of Ghana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) was elected as Titular of the workers group.

Mr Kofi Asamoah, General Secretary of GTUC, reiterated that lack of job employment in the country could be attributed to students pursuing courses which facilitations were limited and also institutions offering courses which were difficult to get them jobs on the market.

He stated that the actual working hours for everyone was eight hours and anything beyond that should be paid for the efforts of the worker but most institutions infringed on the rights of the citizenry.

Mr Asamoah called for the enforcement of the law to help provide social justice for domestic workers in both the private and the public sector.

The General Secretary stressed that there were lots of people working in institutions without pay or incentives and urged the government to rectify it.