Sunyani, Nov. 11, GNA – Ghana currently has a total of 66.2 per cent of its employed persons engaged in vulnerable employment, Mr Tontie Binado, the ActionAid Ghana’s (AAG) Regional Programme Manager for the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions has stated.
According to him, that was contained in the Ghana Living Standards Survey round seven (GLSS7,2019) report, saying per the survey, the unemployment situation was worse for women than men because in percentage terms the former’s figure stood at 57.4 while the latter was 42.9.
Mr Binado was speaking at a regional dialogue in Sunyani with opinion leaders on promoting decent work for young people through the ratification of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) C90 which sought to eliminate violence and harassment at workplaces, either within the formal or informal sectors.
Organised by the AAG, the one-day event was attended by representatives of religious groups, state institutions and organisations as well as traditional leaders and members of the Young Urban Women Movement (YUWM) and Activista in the Bono Region
It aimed at deepening the understanding of participants on issues of decent work and the ILO C190 to become more committed to influencing and promoting decent work at their workplaces and in their communities.
Mr Binado added that whilst the national unemployment rate was 8.4 per cent, the rate for young people stood at 12.6 per cent, far higher than the national average.
Such a precarious picture of the country’s unemployment situation “is a breeding grounds for abuses, exploitation, harassment and violence”, he stated and emphasised that women and the youth were the most victims.
Mr Binado said the ILO C190 was of much importance to Ghanaians, stating that if ratified it would augment and strengthen the Legislature and the policy environment to ensure decent work for all, particularly women and young workers.
It was against this background, he said, that the AAG had been mobilizing YUWM and Activista as people affected by workplace injustices to lead the advocacy for appropriate policy and actions to protect young people and ensure decent work conditions for all.
“It’s the AAG’s firmed belief that no one can lead a change process that is sustainable other than the most affected people themselves. The AAG however, also believe that affected people require solidarity from all well-meaning people to ensure that the desired change is realised,” Mr Binado said.
“This campaign thus requires everyone to be on board if any meaningful and sustainable change can be achieved”, he implored.
Mr Dominic Kwaku Twum, a staff of the Department of Labour, Sunyani observed that a lot of abuses occurred at the workplace and therefore needed to be stopped to save employees from harassment and abuses.
He entreated prospective employees to ensure they have the proper and accurate documentations specifying salaries and explaining conditions of service before the commencement of any job to ensure fairness.
GNA