Use due process to settle labour disputes – Asamoah

Players in the industrial sector have been urged to follow due process in settling labour-re­lated disputes by resorting to the Labour Act, 2003, (Act 651).

The Act mandates the National Labour Commission (NLC) to settle industrial disputes through negotiations and other alternative methods of dispute resolution.

According to the Executive Secretary of the NLC, Mr Ofosu Asamoah, the commitment to the due process under the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651) by both employers and employees was crucial for the maintenance of a peaceful indus­trial relations.

Mr Asamoah said this when the NLC engaged the media in a discussion on Thursday on the dispute settlement procedure under the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651).

The engagement with the media was also a significant step towards promoting peaceful industrial rela­tions and addressing labour dis­putes in the country and enhanc­ing the public’s understanding of the NLC’s role in promoting peaceful industrial relations and resolving industrial disputes.

During the discussion, Mr Asamoah acknowledged the role played by the media in not only educating, informing, and entertaining its audiences, but also shaping public opinion on various issues, including dispute resolution.

Additionally, he asserted that commitment to the due procedure in addressing industrial disputes under the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651) was important as it would encourage investors to invest in the country’s economy.

“Every investor is interested in putting his or her money where he or she is sure that there is industrial stability and there are institutions to deal with any mis­understanding or conflict that may arise,” he said.

For her part, the Director, Ad­ministration and Human Resourc­es of NLC, Dr Bernice Welbeck, said that the media engagement was not only to inform partic­ipants of the mandate of the commission, but to also give an account of how the commission had fared since its establishment in April 2005.

She noted that from 2005 to 2024, the commission received a total of 12,644 complaints filed by individual workers, group of workers, workers’ association, trade unions and employers from the private and public sectors of the economy.

According to her, the commis­sion had resolved and brought to final conclusion, a total of 9,454 of the complaints, representing 75 per cent resolution and final closure to the dispute filed during the period, with the remaining 3,150 complaints representing 25 per cent at various stages.

 BY EUGENE AMPIAW

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