Profile of the labour market and trade unions in ghana. The colonial government reacted by outlawing strikes. General secretary of the industrial and commercial workers union. In the case of primary data, we had focussed group discussions with identifiable groups and institutions engaged in trade union activities. The history of trade unions3 in the gold coast4 stretches back to the beginning of.
Weak but feared by hubert rene schillinger march 2005 summary trade unions in africa are weak organisations with many internal problems. Committee members should be prepared to do research the benefits of unionization and to educate and persuade their coworkers to support. In spain, for example, employees who labor sidebyside in the same occupation might be represented by the cc. Congress tuc is the main trade union centre in ghana with eighteen 18 affiliated national unions and an estimated membership of over 450,000 workers. In 1941, the trade union ordinance of 1941 was enacted, legalizing the formation of trade unions in the colony. Trywell kalusopa kwabena nyarko otoo hilma shindondolamote. Pdf trade unions, democratization, and economic crises in ghana. The union had 24 member unions in 1958 and was regulated by the industrial relations act 56. Trade unions or labour unions definition the social historians sydney and beatrice webb defined a trade union as. It is formed for protecting the interests of workers. A trade union has to apply in writing to the chief labour officer for getting registered. Trade unions have a particularly important role in sharing such information in the workplace. An appraisal of the legal framework for adjudication of.
What role have trade unions and workers played in ghana s move toward political liberalization and democratization, in the past and in the recent199093 democratic transition. Draw up its constitution and rules, elect its officers and representatives. The core foundation of collective bargaining legislation in south africa was the industrial. The tuc suffered a major upheaval when a group of local union leaders association of local unions alu in the capital city of ghana, accra, 20 21 chased out the elected leaders of the tuc from office, and took over the administration of the labour movement for about 10 months april 1982 to september 1983.
Management of trade unions in nigeria under a recessionary. Affiliate to and participate in the activities of international workers organisations. This paper takes a look at the effect of recession on trade unions in nigeria and its implications for trade union practice and management in terms of the following variables. Workers have little bargaining capacity when they are unorganized. When matters concerning an individual employee or a group of workers arise, the trade unions job is to voice out the problem in order to negotiate for a solution. The unions were registered under the trade union ordinance of 1941. What role have trade unions and workers played in ghanas move toward political liberalization and democratization, in the past and in the recent199093 democratic transition. What role have trade unions and workers played in ghanas move. It was founded on 7 june 1944 in abosso near tarkwa. Download pdf trade unions party politics free online.
Trade unions global crisis isbn 9789221249269 f the recent global economic crisis has debilitated labour in many parts of the world, many segments of the trade union movement have been fighting back, combining traditional and innovative strategies and articulating alternatives to the dominant political and economic models. Ghana ituc survey of violations of trade union rights. The objectives and design of the book have remained fundamentally unchanged since that time. General federation of trade unions uk scottish trades union congress. Trapped between an ongoing informalisation of the african economies on the one hand and the consequences of. Trade unions in many african countries played a muscular and seminal role in the late 1980s and early 1990s in mobilizing the mass protests and strikes that led to the overthrow of old. It discusses relations between the labour party and the unions and the response of trade unionists to political and economic change.
However, the various definitions of a trade union exhibit two important features, i. With the purpose of assisting the establishment of trade unions, the labor and social welfare secretary, after due discussion with the trade federations and confederations, may approve statute models which it will make available to the trade unions in the process of being established, without there being an obligation on their part to accept them. Today, unions are well known as both representatives of rankand file workers and as political contributors to politicians who support their interests. The trade unions usually adopt a number of restrictive devices, e. In 1954, the union proposed that the local unions be amalgamated along industrial groupings to make the union strong. What are the procedures for registering a trade union. This form of organisation ob viously presupposes the existence of a broad basis of trade union unity at all levels. The objectives of the international work of the loftf council are to support democratic development of the trade union movements in africa, asia and latin. Role of trade unions in workplace administration graphic. Akua britwum trade unions and the informal economy in ghana trade unions and informal employment the increased informalisation of labour representation presents both chal lenges and prospects for organised labour. The labour legislation does not sufficiently secure trade union rights, and the authorities retain some.
Ghana trades union congress ghana tuc the ghana tuc was launched in 1945 as a national centre of trade unions, with the major objective of leading the rest of organised labour in protecting collective bargaining rights as well as in policy intervention concerning labour market and other national issues. All about trade unions in ghana, trade unions and workers and labour laws in ghana, trade unions and wages and more on mywage ghana what is a trade union. The day after the act was passed the hall of trade unions in accra the police entered the offices of the tuc and seized files and documents. The union had 24 member unions in 1958 and was regulated by. The trades union congress tuc was launched in 1945, twelve years before ghana gained political independence. But the fact that there are still countries that remain obstinately autocratic where trade unions have been working hard at achieving a transition to democracy, indicates that trade unions on their own do not ensure the existence of, or transition to, democracy in a. The trade unions act, as amended in this act reformed to as the principal act is further amended as set out in this act.
List of trade unions in the united kingdom wikipedia. Trade unions trade unions in ghana 2014 number of trade unions 25 dues standard 12% of basic salary practices, members of trade unions1 800,000 trade union members share of labour force 7. Also called house union, a company union is often a bogus one and generally illegal. The criteria for being an independent trade union, free from employer influence and domination, are set out in the trade union and labour relations consolidation act 1992 section 5. Trade union services and benefits in africa edited by. In this respect, trade unions play a dual role of being a worker advocate to management as well as taking a special interest in government politics, both at the local, state, and federal level. Trade union organisation in africa is weak at the national, regional and continental levels and is primarily limited to the formal sector, which means that only the interests of a minority of. Ghana national association of teachers gnat, civil service association, ghana employers association gea, ministry of employment and man power development, and the ghana statistical service. At the time of its formation, the tuc had a total of 14 unions with a numerical strength of 6030. A trade union shall apply in writing to the chief labour officer to be registered. The first half of trade unions in a neoliberal world presents an overview of industrial politics, the evolution of new labour and an anatomy of contemporary trade unionism. Pdf what role have trade unions and workers played in ghanas move toward. Different views are held about the role of trade unions what sociologists term as frames of reference in which classification is made. The relative merits of industrial unions over the craft and general unions are well known.
Trade unions in an emerging economy the case of south africa. Click download or read online button to get trade unions and sustainable democracy in africa book now. Unions like the gold and silver smiths association, the colony and ashanti motor union, and the carpenters and masons union were all founded in the 1920s. Trade unions the ghana trades union congress tuc is the most representative national trade union centre in the country. Organise its administration and activities and formulate its own programmes. Ghanaian trade unionism in perspective semantic scholar. These unions can take part in the formulation, and become a member of any federation of trade unions or employers organization and participate in its lawful activities. Under the labour act 651, a trade union means any association of workers, the principal purposes of which are to promote and protect their economic and social interests. A trade union is an association of workers formed with the object of improving the conditions of workers. A continuous association of wageearners organized for the purpose of maintaining and improving the condition of their working lives. Associated society of locomotive engineers and firemen aslef. That means the problems and needs are going to vary across forms or different ac. Solidarity support to african trade unions, particularly of a. This new edition of trade unions of the world is the sixth in a sequence stretching back to 1987.
Ghana trade unionists who tried to protest about the poor performance of their employer found themselves victimised. Trade unions, democratization, and economic crises in ghana. The informal sector in ghana friedrich ebert foundation. Trade unions in ghana, trade unions and workers and labour. In many european countries, multiple trade unions represent employees at a single workplace.
In india, as in many other countries of southeast asia, the. The following is a list of major independent trade unions, which are solely accountable to their members and free from employer domination as it stood on 31 march 2012. There are two national trade union centers, the trades union congress of ghana and the ghana federation of labour. Feb 14, 2017 hence, a trade union is an association of workers with the aim of promoting and protecting their economic and social interests. As a result, the labour market was characterized by a strong racial division of labour that would persist for decades to come.
Trade unions and the informal sector, organised by the bureau for workers activity actrav of the ilo in geneva, october 1822, 1999. Hence, a trade union is an association of workers with the aim of promoting and protecting their economic and social interests. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that. Whether temporary or permanent, primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workers and employers or between workers for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business and includes the federations of two or more trade unions. In case no agreement is settled or respected, the trade union members may enforce strikes or resistance to lockouts. Roles and responsibilities of trade union management essay.
Entries for each country begin with a section giving a brief account of the political and economic context. This is a list of trade unions in the united kingdom formed under uk labour law. This article seeks to be an analysis and not a detailed exposition of the history of ghanaian trade unionism in the two decades prior to the. One of the most important aspects of the labour act, 2003 is the creation. The body which oversees unions, and awards a certificate of independence for the purpose of collective bargaining is the trades. The trade unions are facing major challenges to organize workers in the informal sector to ensure that the employees are working in an environment which is not harmful to them and secures their basic human needs. Unionisation in the export processing zones epz remains complicated mainly due to employers resistance. Pdf strikes and labour power in ghana researchgate. Whether you are working with the assistance of a union organizer from a preexisting union or trying to start an independent union, start by assembling an organizing committee. The trade unions amendment act, 2005, amended the principal act, that is, the trade unions act 1973, thereby filling up gaps in the law that were necessary for a more efficient operation and coordination of trade unionism. It is not possible to list all of them here, but we do certainly make mention of some of them. Trade unions in ghana have a total membership of over 350,000 out of a total workforce of around 9 million. Though there is a diversity of opinions in regard to the role of trade unions in the working class movement.
Objectives, function, formation, regulation, rights and liabilities. In 1900, a growing body of wage earners had been called into existence in the country following the expansion of the civil and public services due to the. Police used excessive force against protesting teachers. The ghana mineworkers union gmwu is a strong, democratic and independent trade union organisation affiliated locally to the ghana trades union congress gtuc and internationally to the industrial global union based in geneva, switzerland. It maintains a secretariat with national headquarters comprising a number of specialised departments as well as regional offices in the 10 administrative regions of ghana. Institute of ghana trade union congress ghana tuc for coordination of the activities that directed the whole research process and publication of the book.
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