The Trades Union Congress( TUC-Ghana) in partnership with Union of Informal Workers Association (UNIWA) has organized a workshop for its members in Kumasi.
The purpose of the workshop is to sensitize members on the Rights of Informal Economy Workers in the Labour Law Reform.
Giving a presentation, the head of Industrial Relations at TUC Mrs Rose Kwei explained that TUC has intensified efforts to organise workers in the informal economy as part of its drive to promote decent work and fair representation across all sectors.
According to her, one of the main reasons for the lack of decent work in the informal economy is the absence of a strong voice and representation among informal workers.
She said most cases in informal economy operators are not involved in making decisions that directly affect them.
She further explained that the TUC realised it could not effectively claim to represent Ghanaian workers if its focus remained solely on the formal sector, especially when about 83 percent of the country’s workforce operates in the informal economy.
Mrs Kwei said many informal workers are semi-literate and often unaware of their rights and responsibilities. To address this, the TUC launched a series of educational campaigns aimed at improving their management, negotiation, and grievance-handling skills.
Adding, the informal economy employs the majority of the workforce and contributes significantly to the production and distribution of goods and services.
It is therefore important to focus more attention on this sector to make it attractive and capable of employing more graduates.
She further noted that with limited job opportunities for fresh graduates, the informal sector presents a viable avenue for employment, but now it’s difficult for fresh graduates to secure jobs from the area where opportunities exist is the informal economy.
Mrs. Kwei recalled that the TUC amended its constitution in 1996 to accommodate the informal sector.
Mrs. Kwei emphasized that Currently, informal sector are actively working with the TUC on easier to collaborate with organised groups that have registered leadership structures rather than with individuals.
She also highlighted that one of the major challenges facing these associations has been their relationship with local authorities. However, through TUC’s intervention and advocacy, significant improvements have been achieved
