By Kodjo Adams
Accra, Sept. 24, GNA- Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, the Minister of Labour, Jobs, and Employment, has called for stronger mediation, negotiation and dialogue to ensure that labour disputes are resolved fairly without unnecessarily ending up in court.
The Minister said the National Labour Commission must become a more effective platform for resolving workplace disputes and create an environment where complainants receive fair hearings regardless of their status or background.
Mr Agyekum said this on Wednesday during a working visit to the NLC office, in Accra.
He expressed concern about cases being taken to court when they could potentially be resolved through mediation and negotiation at the Commission.
“Nothing should go out of this door,” he said, stressing that efforts should be made to resolve disputes at the Commission before they proceed to the courts.
The Minister said the institution must become a more effective platform for resolving workplace disputes.
He urged the staff to work together to create an environment where complainants receive fair hearings regardless of their status or background.
“We have to deal with issues fairly in a way that if I go home, I will be very comfortable, and I’ll be free in my mind that I went to Labour Commission and I had a very fair hearing,” he said.
The Minister noted that the Commission had received more than 550 complaints and challenged its leadership and staff to improve the way such cases are handled.
He urged the Commission to make greater use of its 21 years of experience by documenting and learning from previous cases and decisions.
According to him, the institution’s accumulated experience could provide useful precedents for dealing with current and future disputes and repeated his advice to resolve cases, through mediation at th Commission rather being taken to court.
“Nothing should go out of this door,” he said, stressing that efforts should be made to resolve disputes at the Commission before they proceed to the courts.
He proposed exploring the establishment or strengthening of offices in underserved areas, particularly in the northern part of the country.
Discussions, he stressed, would be held with the Finance Minister on the resources required to improve the Commission’s operations, including the recruitment of additional staff.
The Minister appealed to the Commission’s leadership and staff to work closely with his Ministry to improve the institution’s performance.
“As much as I want to succeed, I want you to succeed,” he said, calling for cooperation from everyone within the institution.
Dr Bernice Welbeck, the Executive Secretary, NLC, appealed to the Minister to follow up on assurances given by the Deputy Minister of Finance during a recent budget hearing regarding the financial clearance.
She raised concerns about inadequate and overcrowded office accommodation, saying the situation was affecting its operations and creating health and safety concerns.
Established under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), the National Labour Commission is mandated to facilitate and settle industrial disputes and use alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, including mediation and arbitration.
The Commission said it has been in existence for 21 years and receives an average of about 550 complaints annually.
The disputes involve between 750,000 and one million complainants, according to the presentation.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Kodjo Adams
Reporter’s email address: k[email protected]