By Francis Ameyibor
Tema, June 19, GNA – Dr. William Mensah-Ansah, an industrialist has commended the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) mandate to strive for a better future for all.
He said the ILO’s renewed mandate to understand and anticipate the transformational drivers of change that were already in operation and to be ready to respond rapidly to events and challenges that could not reasonably be predicted needed global commendation.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema, Dr. Mensah-Ansah said Labour Unions must adopt a new model of engagement based on diplomatic engagement and transparent industrial relations.
Dr. Mensah-Ansah said Labour Unions must begin to look at collaborating with governments and employers to address challenges and offer possibilities for the achievement of social justice in an ever more complex world of work.
He said the most salient characteristic of the global economy that Ghanaian Labour Unions must consider had to do with the impact of globalization, stressing that the injection of new technology into the world of work meant that people, goods, and capital were moving ever more rapidly between countries.
“This gives rise to an interdependent global economic network that is affecting almost everyone on the planet. Globalization today means the internationalization of production, finance, trade, and migration,” he said, stressing that these are major challenges that must be addressed through diplomatic dialogue and not an antagonistic posture.
Dr. Mensah-Ansah said one of the most symbolic controversies relating to the future of work lies in the issue of whether technological progress would result in the destruction or creation of jobs, which the Ghanaian Labour market, especially Organized Labour, must begin to address.
He said Ghana has initiated an aggressive digitization and digitalization drive and a new dimension in the era of robotization and artificial intelligence. “What is the future of workers?” These are issues that we must holistically look at.
“In the current era of transformation, Organized Labout must adopt the new model of diplomatic engagement with governments and employers to secure the future of workers,” he said.
Dr. Mensah-Ansah called on the TUC to adopt modern diplomatic means for mediation instead of the old antagonistic fighting strategy, which has become outmoded.
GNA