The Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has urged the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to strengthen its relationship with organised labour, insisting that no government can successfully implement major national reforms without engaging workers and their representatives.
His comments come in the wake of Parliament’s passage of the Tribunals Bill, which seeks to re-establish tribunals as part of the Mahama administration’s judicial reform agenda aimed at improving the administration of justice and expediting the hearing of specialised cases. While the government has defended the legislation as a necessary reform, the Bill has attracted criticism from the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which has raised concerns about aspects of the legislation and its implementation.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu programme with Citizen Kofi Owusu in Accra, Koomson argued that although the TUC has every democratic right to express its views, it cannot claim to speak for all organised labour or every Ghanaian worker.
“They have the constitutional right to freedom of speech and can express their opinions on national issues, but they cannot speak for all organised labour or all Ghanaian workers. They only represent their members,” he said.
According to Koomson, Ghana has more than 120 labour unions, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, and several other public-sector unions, each with its own independent position on national issues.
He stressed that while the TUC remains a significant labour organisation, it does not represent the views of every worker in the country.
Drawing on Ghana’s political history, Koomson recalled that Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, recognised the importance of organised labour during the struggle for independence and maintained a close working relationship with the TUC, which, according to him, contributed significantly to the success of the Convention People’s Party (CPP).
He also recounted that the dissolution of the TUC during the Nkrumah era created resentment among workers and later became a political issue exploited by the opposition.
Koomson said the lesson for the current government is to engage all labour unions rather than relying on a single organisation.
He further alleged that the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) currently wields considerable influence within the TUC, arguing that some of the Congress’ recent pronouncements reflect the opposition’s position rather than the collective voice of organised labour.
He noted that shortly after the NDC assumed office, the TUC criticised the government over environmental issues and also cautioned it over the dismissal of some public-sector chief executives, the Chief Justice, Torkono, during the May Day celebrations.
According to Koomson, the Ghana Federation of Labour publicly distanced itself from those remarks because they did not reflect the views of all labour unions.
He maintained that it was unfair to hold a government that had been in office for only a few months responsible for challenges that had accumulated over several years.
Koomson urged the NDC government to deepen its engagement with organised labour by regularly consulting labour leaders and clearly communicating its policies and programmes.
“I want this message to reach the leadership of the NDC government. They should relate more closely with labour. Let labour understand what they are doing because if workers do not understand your ideology and your policies, they may not support them,” he said.
He added that organised labour remains an indispensable partner in national development and should never be sidelined in the implementation of major government policies.
Concluding his remarks, Koomson said history has consistently demonstrated the importance of collaboration between governments and organised labour.
“Kwame Nkrumah succeeded because he worked closely with organised labour. Governments may have good ideas, but without organised labour and proper organisation, it becomes difficult to achieve lasting success,” he said.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah | Ahotor FM | Accra