Enforce Labour Laws On Health and Safety of Workers

By Ernest KISSIEDU

Dr. Steve Manteaw, Campaign Coordinator for the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), has emphasized the need for Ghana to enforce legislation on labour, especially with respect to health and safety at the workplace and make it work.

This, he believes, will help to ensure that workers are well protected and work under conducive conditions.

"Unlike the Scandinavia jurisdiction, Ghana as a country doesn't have any stand-alone laws on health and safety at the workplace. We trivialize such issues and only put one or two clauses in the Labour Act. We can do more in enforcing such regulations at the work place," Dr. Manteaw told Business Day Ghana in an effort to sample views on worker safety ahead of the May Day celebrations, which took place yesterday.

According to him, Ghana must be more proactive instead of always being reactive to labour issues and must take such issues very seriously.

"We shouldn't wait till somebody's face is dipped in pepper before we have ministers of employment and other state officials going to the work place to inspect the conditions under which people work."

For Dr. Manteaw, the nation needs to be mindful of the fact that the International Labour Organization (ILO) has been working to enforce 'Minimum Labour Standards'; and Ghana as a member of ILO, is obliged to comply.

"Incidentally, ISODEC worked on a project of a sort trying to monitor compliance with core labour standards in the construction industry. So, for instance, you are required to provide helmet, protective booths, working gears and overalls for your workers; and again to put adequate notices to warn them of any hazards at the workplace."

The ISODEC campaign coordinator explained that such compliances are sometimes adhered to especially where people work with major multi-national companies. Some of these companies are foreign-owned but are usually small to medium size like the Lebanese, Indians and other Asian nationals.

However, the difficulty really has to do with Ghanaian companies which turn to flout these rules and health and safety measures at the work place.

Dr. Manteaw added that, "A lot of times, you will find that they did not pay the minimum wage that is required by law let alone to ensure that safety equipment are provided to their workforce.

"Particular instance has been the steel industry especially when you go to the free-zones enclaves, the Tema Industrial Area and parts of Spintex Road. You will find out that, largely, the health and safety rules are flouted but because the factory inspectorate division does not seem to be up to the task; some of these things go unnoticed until there are injuries and brutalities.

"The only way to ensure that provisions of the labour act are complied with is to ensure routine or frequent inspections at various factories and industrial work places.

"This we aren't doing, we only do it when there is some brutality or major injuries or accidents, then we go and inspect it. It's lack of supervision or weak compliance enforcement. If nobody inspects and ensures that such laws are complied with, then the law is as good as the paper it is written on."

Close sources from the TUC and Public Utility Workers' Union (PUWU) indicated that the labour law provides for occupation health and safety where workers work in a convenient environment and gives specific conditions that must be met.

The sources told Business Day Ghana that once there are laws to ensure that the environment in which people work is safe, the National Labour Commission has a mandate to enforce such laws.

"Workers must be treated fairly and must feel safe at their workplace. The law provides for these things but it is up to the labour department to ensure that these laws are fulfilled. There are labour laws in Ghana but the main problem we have is its enforcement," said a worker who was unwilling to be named.

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