Mr Joshua Ansah, the Secretary-General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), has commended the Government of Ghana for its efforts to build a resilient and job-rich economy.
“We stand ready to collaborate in implementing its job creation agenda. However, we make it clear: our cooperation will never come at the expense of workers’ welfare,” Mr Ansah stated in his remarks at the 113th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
He said to truly reinforce the link between jobs, rights and growth, the Ghana TUC calls on the ILO to strengthen its supervisory mechanisms to better protect trade union rights.
He also urged TUC to significantly increase investment in Africa’s social protection and employment systems.
“Let us move forward with resolve and unity, to ensure that no worker is left behind in our quest for a fairer, more equitable world of work,” Mr Ansah said.
The Conference, which is ongoing from June 2-13, saw government, employer, and worker representatives from ILO’s 187 member states gather to discuss critical issues in the world of work.
The meeting focused on topics such as possible new international standards on worker protection from biological hazards, decent work in the platform economy, and transitioning from informal to formal employment.
Mr Ansah expressed his appreciation to Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, the ILO Director-General, for his insightful and thought-provoking report titled “Jobs, Rights and Growth: Reinforcing the Connection”.
Mr Ansah noted that the report speaks directly to the heart of their shared commitment as social partners and reaffirms the central role of workers in driving sustainable growth, protecting rights at work, and creating decent employment opportunities.
He said the report’s message was clear: sustainable economic development is unattainable without decent jobs, respect for fundamental rights at work, and inclusive growth.
He said these were not isolated priorities; adding that they were deeply interdependent and must be pursued collectively and coherently.
Mr Ansah said in Ghana, trade unions had remained steadfast in their efforts to ensure that these principles were not only enshrined in their laws but also translated into the lived realities of working people.
“We have made important strides in strengthening labour legislation and promoting social dialogue,” he said.
He said however, workers in Ghana continue to face persistent challenges, such as a rapidly expanding informal economy with inadequate protections.
Others are stagnating real wages and widening income inequality, growing employment insecurity, fuelled by outsourcing and precarious contracts, and low pension coverage and insufficient retirement benefits.
He said these challenges highlight the urgent need to heed the Director-General’s call to meaningfully reconnect jobs, rights, and growth.
“This reconnection must go beyond rhetoric. It must be rooted in policy action and global solidarity,” Mr Ansah said.
Source: GNA
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