DEVELOPMENTAL RELEVANCE OF SOCIAL
DIALOGUE IN GHANA
• Prince Asafu-Adjaye,
• Acting Director, Labour Research and Policy Institute, TUC (Ghana)
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
• Research am and objectives
• Research Method
• Forms and Levels of Social Dialogue in Ghana
• Role and impact of social dialogue in development policies in Ghana.
• Conclusion and Recommendations
RESEARCH METHOD
• The analysis contained in the paper draws on primary and secondary data sources.
• Primary data were collected through questionnaires and face-to-face and telephone interviews
with representatives of social partners and CSOs in Ghana.
• The participants of the study include;
• the Chief Labour Officer of Ghana,
• the Director of Industrial Relations of the Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA)
• the Head of Organizing and Industrial Relations of TUC (Ghana).
• The the Eastern Regional Secretary of the TUC (Ghana)
• officers of the following CSOs across the country;
• PWYP,
• ISODEC,
• Social Support Foundation,
• Civil Society Coalition on Land,
• WACCAM
• Friends of the Nation.
• Primary data collected were complimented by secondary data obtained from published
documents and data from the sixth round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 6).
Scope/Aim and Objectives
• The paper analyses the relevance of social dialogue (beyond traditional notions
of social dialogue) for development.
• It focuses on the extent to which multi-stakeholder and other forms of nontraditional social dialogue influence policies and legislation in Ghana.
• .
Development Relevance of Social Dialogue
Tripartite
National Tripartite
Committee
Government/GEA/TU
Minimum Wage
Bipartite
1. Gov. & TU
2. Gov. & GEA
3. GEA & TU
1. National
2. Enterprise
Employment and Working Condition
Multi-stakeholder
1.
2.
3.
2.
Government
GEA
TU
CSOs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Ad hoc
Consultative
Public hearings
Demonstrations
Press statements
Non-biding
Not justiciable
1. Non-biding
2. Not justiciable
3. Burden of external
influence
1.
2.
3.
4.
Agenda and Impact
Legislation
a. Constitutional review
b. Passage of laws
c. Labour Act
Economic and Social
Policies
a. Annual budget
b. Medium term policies
c. NEP
d. Youth policy
Pricing of Petroleum
Products/Utilities
Governing of Structures of
public institutions
Conclusion
• social dialogue is rooted in Ghana.
• The existence of legal and institutional framework for social dialogue has
created spaces for trade unions, CSOs and other interest groups to engage with
significant others on varied issues.
• But some challenges still persist.
• Enterprise level social dialogue is minimal due to low trade union density in
the country.
• lack of defined structure and procedures for multi-stakeholder national
social dialogue detract from its effectiveness.
• But the consequences of the absence of social dialogue are unimaginable.
• Shared understanding and consensus on national and enterprise level policies
have been possible largely due to social dialogue.
• The inclusive economic growth outcomes in Ghana, albeit below expectation,
have been possible due to social dialogue.
Recommendations
• The analysis shows that multi-stakeholder social dialogue lacks form and
outcomes in Ghana are largely non-binding and not justiciable.
• To give greater effect and true meaning to multi-stakeholder social
dialogue, reforms are needed for defined structure and procedure and to
establish at least an annual multi-stakeholder social dialogue.
• Such reforms must make outcomes of multi-stakeholder dialogue enforceable.
• Although Ghana has elaborate legislations for social dialogue, institutions of
social dialogue created by such legislations are weak and unable to effectively
execute their mandate.
• Significant investment is therefore needed to enable these institutions to
effectively support social dialogue in the country.