Government reaffirms commitment to strengthen labour institutions, promote industrial peace

The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to working with organised labour, employers and other stakeholders to strengthen labour institutions and promote peaceful industrial relations across the country.

The Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment gave the assurance in a keynote address delivered on his behalf by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr Hamidu Adakurugu Esq., during the 20th anniversary celebration of the National Labour Commission (NLC).

He explained that sustainable economic growth, investment and quality public services depended on stable labour relations, making early intervention essential to avoiding industrial conflicts.

He said the commission had, over the past two decades, become one of Ghana's respected public institutions through its commitment to promoting peaceful industrial relations and resolving labour disputes through mediation, negotiation, arbitration and reconciliation.

The minister noted that the Commission had successfully settled many labour disputes before they disrupted economic activity or affected public services, adding that its work had strengthened confidence in Ghana's labour administration system.

He, however, said the Commission must now shift from primarily resolving disputes to preventing them through regular dialogue and early engagement with employers and workers.

"The Labour Commission must increasingly evolve from being an institution of dispute resolution to becoming an institution of dispute prevention," he stated.

He congratulated current and former commissioners, management, staff and stakeholders for their contributions to the Commission's work, saying their efforts had helped preserve industrial peace and protect the country's economic and social stability.

"Twenty years may appear modest in the lifespan of a nation, yet they represent sufficient time for institutions to reveal their character, demonstrate their resilience and justify the confidence reposed in them by the people," he said.

On her part, the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission, Dr Bernice A. Welbeck, noted that NLC has resolved more than 13,000 labour and industrial disputes over the past two decades, with employment termination, unfair dismissal and leave-related complaints accounting for the largest share of cases handled.

She said the Commission had handled 13,113 complaints between April 2005 and December 2025, helping to maintain peaceful industrial relations through mediation, arbitration and adjudication.

She said the establishment of the Commission under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) marked a new approach to resolving labour disputes through dialogue instead of criminal proceedings.

Dr Welbeck explained that Act 651 was the product of more than a decade of consultations among government, employers and organised labour.

She said the law consolidated 17 existing labour laws into a single framework to regulate employment relationships, protect workers' rights and support collective bargaining.

"The law can therefore be described as a negotiated or a consensus law," she said.