Minister of State in charge of Special Initiatives, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, says negotiations with organised labour helped prevent about 90% of planned industrial actions during his tenure as Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment.
Dr Pelpuo said the ministry inherited 17 potential strike actions involving various worker groups but managed to resolve most of the disputes through sustained engagement with labour representatives and relevant government institutions.
Speaking on Citi FM on Thursday, August 27, he said the government focused on understanding workers’ grievances and finding mutually acceptable solutions rather than allowing the disputes to escalate.
“We had meetings with them, we listened to them, we cooperated, they cooperated. We got to a point where almost 90% of them gave up their strike actions,” he said.
He cited the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) as one of the groups whose planned strike was suspended following negotiations with the ministry.
According to Dr Pelpuo, discussions involving GAUA, the Labour Ministry and the Ministry of Education helped address the concerns that had prompted the planned industrial action.
He said the experience demonstrated the importance of dialogue between government and organised labour in resolving workplace disputes and maintaining uninterrupted public services.
