The Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has vowed to pursue the case of a worker who reportedly lost all five fingers while operating heavy machinery at the Afienya Industrial Zone, alleging that the company has stopped paying him following the incident.
Speaking during a panel discussion on Ahotor 92.3 FM’s political talk show, Yepe Ahunu, hosted by Nana Dogbe, Mr Koomson described the incident as disturbing and questioned the effectiveness of the Labour Department in enforcing workplace health and safety regulations. He said the federation would visit the facility unannounced to ensure the matter receives the necessary attention.
Mr Koomson cited the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), particularly Sections 118 to 126, which cover occupational health, safety and environment, as well as labour inspection and the powers of labour inspectors. He argued that the law provides a framework for protecting workers and ensuring employers maintain safe working conditions.
Section 118(1) states that it is the duty of an employer to ensure that every worker works under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions. Section 118(2) further requires employers to provide and maintain safe machinery and systems of work, give workers the necessary safety information and training, and take steps to prevent workplace accidents and injuries. Section 118(5) makes it an offence, subject to the statutory conditions, for an employer to fail to fulfil these obligations.
Mr Koomson questioned why the relevant authorities were not doing enough to ensure compliance, stressing that companies must put preventive measures in place to protect workers from dangerous machinery and other workplace hazards.
He also pointed to Section 120, which requires employers to report occupational accidents and diseases to the appropriate government agency as soon as practicable and no later than seven days after the occurrence. He called for the circumstances surrounding the reported incident to be established, including whether the accident was reported and whether the company complied with its safety obligations.
On the responsibility of the Labour Department, Mr Koomson drew attention to Section 122, which provides for labour inspections to enforce provisions of the Act relating to working conditions and the protection of workers, including their safety, health and welfare.
He also cited Section 124, which empowers labour inspectors to enter workplaces without notice during working hours, conduct examinations and investigations, and direct employers to make alterations to machinery or installations where necessary to avert danger to workers. Under Section 126, anyone who wilfully obstructs a labour inspector in the performance of the inspector’s functions commits an offence.
Mr Koomson said the Labour Department’s inspectorate should conduct regular inspections of industrial facilities and ensure employers comply with the law. He added that the Ghana Federation of Labour was prepared to support efforts to address gaps in enforcement and ensure that the right measures were taken to protect workers.
The GFL Secretary-General further expressed concern about what he described as the exploitation of Ghanaian workers by some Chinese nationals operating businesses in the country.
“We will not sit down for all these Chinese nationals to establish and exploit labour and then maim them. Then we don’t need them here,” he said, warning that the federation would not remain silent if companies failed to protect workers.
Mr Koomson alleged that the injured worker had been neglected after the incident and that the company had stopped paying him. He said the federation would pursue the matter until the concerns were addressed and the appropriate action taken.
The allegation concerning the worker’s pay raises a separate question of employment rights. Section 9(b) of the Labour Act identifies the payment of agreed remuneration in accordance with the employment contract, collective bargaining agreement or applicable law as one of an employer’s duties. Whether the company has breached that obligation depends on the worker’s employment arrangements and the circumstances surrounding the stoppage of payment.
Despite his concerns about workplace safety, Mr Koomson commended President John Dramani Mahama for the sod-cutting ceremony for the Afienya Industrial Park and his announced plan to invest 10 billion dollars in job creation and industrial development.
He maintained that industrial expansion and employment creation must go hand in hand with effective workplace safety measures, insisting that companies operating in Ghana must protect workers’ lives, health and livelihoods.
The allegations concerning the injury, the company’s response and the stoppage of pay have not been independently verified. The company and the relevant labour authorities should be given an opportunity to respond as investigations establish the circumstances of the incident.
Story by Freedom Etsey Lavoe