Unions in Ghana

The trade unions in Ghana have a total of around 350,000 members with around 9 million workers. There are two trade union federations in Ghana , the Trades Union Congress of Ghana and the Ghana Federation of Labor .

British colonial times

The first documented labor dispute in Ghana - at the time still the British Crown Colony of Gold Coast - took place in 1919: a successful strike by the country's miners that sparked a series of successful collective actions by workers. Permanent unions also emerged. Associations such as the Gold and Silver Smith's Association , the Colony and Ashanti Motor Union, and the Carpenters and Masons Union were all formed in the 1920s. The colonial government responded by making strikes illegal.

In 1941, the 1941 Trade Union Decree came into force, legalizing trade unions in the colonies. The British government encouraged the formation of trade union federations in the hope of avoiding the kind of labor disputes that had accompanied the Industrial Revolution in Europe and North America . Finally, on September 8, 1945, the Trades Union Congress of Ghana (TUC) was established with an initial membership of 6030 people and fourteen affiliate members in the offices of the Railway African Employees Union in Sekondi . Overall, it was an appendage of the "ruling" (under colonial conditions) party, the Convention People's Party (CPP). The struggle for better working conditions was soon accompanied by demands for the country's independence. After the pre-independence politicians known as the Big Six were jailed in 1948, the TUC called a nationwide strike that resulted in the release of the politicians but weakened the unions.

In 1954, the TUC tried to organize itself along the lines of company units, i.e. to enforce the principle of “one company - one union” (as opposed to organization along professional groups) and to make this change public. The change met resistance from the United Africa Company union .

First republic

When Ghana became independent in 1957 and made up of the Gold Coast Trades Union Congress of the Trades Union Congress of Ghana , there were various worker groups in all regions of the country. Many were significantly more militant than the TUC and violent strikes and demonstrations were common. Employers responded by founding “yellow (employer-friendly) unions” . In 1958 the Ghanaian government passed the Industrial Relations Act to strengthen the TUC. For the first time - and as the only trade union organization - the TUC had achieved legal recognition and was provided with buildings for its centers. Above all, however, collective bargaining between employers and employees has become mandatory. The Industrial Relations Act of 1965, which replaced that of 1958, also forced any organization wishing to register as a union to do so through the TUC - a provision that many consider to be incompatible with Convention No. 48 of the International Labor Organization , which includes the freedom to form associations and the protection of the right to organize. In 1960, a law followed that made union membership compulsory for public sector employees . At that time, relations between the TUC and the ruling party, the CPP, were so close that this was sometimes at the expense of the autonomy of the trade union federation, which also aroused resentment among the workers.

NLC, Second Republic and NRC

In 1966, the military successfully staged a coup against the CPP government, which was welcomed by some workers who were dissatisfied with the TUC's loyalty to the government. When the new government lifted TUC membership obligations for public sector employees, membership decreased from 700,000 to 300,000 people. The years between 1966 and 1969 saw a number of wildcat strikes . Relations between the TUC and the National Liberation Council government were strained. In 1967 a government-appointed commission recommended a wage increase, which the government then implemented.

In 1969, Kofi Abrefa Busia came to power and replaced the military government. He expressed his support for a "free and independent labor movement" and promised the TUC his help. After a period of high inflation , the TUC called on the Busia government to raise salaries. Although a commission was set up on the matter, the government failed to comply. Instead, it imposed a new tax that burdened all employees. TUC and workers were annoyed, and heavy criticism from the union led the government to amend the Industrial Relations Act: the 1971 Act dissolved the TUC and freezes its assets. The dissolution of the trade union federation did not last long: after a coup by Ignatius Kutu Acheampong , the National Redemption Council , the new military government, revoked the 1971 law and in 1972 reestablished the TUC.

PNDC and Democratic Government

In 1981 the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) came to power through another coup. The PNDC sought to work with the TUC, but never gained its full support. In 1982 the PNDC set up a People's / Workers' Defense Committee (PWDC) in parallel with the existing union structures in order to break the union's power. That same year, some government-sponsored workers calling themselves Association of Labor Unions (ALU) attacked TUC headquarters and set up "transitional management committees" to lead both the TUC and those organized within it Unions to democratize them. From then on there was hardly any relationship between the TUC and the government.

The return to democracy in Ghana in 1992 improved the conditions for union work. Although the Industrial Relations Act of 1965 required TUC membership in order to be registered as a union, "Workers' Associations" were formed in the public sector that were not formally unions. You have a certain bargaining power with the government, but you are not allowed to call for strikes. In 1985 the TUC and some workers' associations from the public sector formed the National Consultive Forum of Ghana Labor (NFGL). The forum negotiates for its members, but is also a means of communication for its member organizations.

In 1999 the Ghana Federation of Labor (GFL) established itself as an umbrella organization for various independent trade unions, and in 2003 a tripartite "National Working Commission" was founded to help resolve disagreements. It also has the option of issuing “negotiation certificates” to unions wishing to conclude collective agreements .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Country and Trade Union Profiles 2005/2006 ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . International Confederation of Free Trade Unions-Regional Organization (ICFTU-AFRO). Retrieved November 10, 2007.  
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Profile of the Labor Market and Trade Unions in Ghana ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. LO / FTF Council. Retrieved September 2, 2007.  
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Powar, P. Komlar: The Ghana Trade Union Congress: A Brief Report (PDF; 6.1 MB). Friedrich Ebert Foundation Accra. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
4. ↑ FES Trade Union Reports: The Case of Ghana (PDF; 1.9 MB). Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
5. ↑ Anyemedu, Kwasi: Trade union responses to globalization: Case study on Ghana . International Institute for Labor Studies. Retrieved November 10, 2007.