Ghana launches national union for informal waste workers

The Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), together with government and development partners, officially launched Ghana's national union for informal waste workers.

The event, themed "From Informality to Inclusion: Recognizing Informal Waste Workers as Essential Actors in Ghana's Circular Economy," brought together waste worker leaders from all sixteen regions of Ghana alongside government officials, development partners, and private sector actors.

The launch marks the culmination of a five-year journey by GAYO to organize and mobilize waste pickers across the country, a process that began with a single waste picker cooperative and has grown into a nationwide movement recognizing the environmental and economic contribution of informal waste workers.

The new union gives informal waste workers, many of whom recover recyclable materials, divert waste from landfill, and supply industries with secondary raw materials, a unified voice to engage government, municipalities, industry, and development partners for the first time. Its mandate includes advocating for safer working conditions, stronger worker organizations, better access to markets, social protection, occupational health and safety, and meaningful participation in policy decisions affecting the sector.

Hon. Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, Ghana's Minister for Labor, Jobs and Employment, confirmed the union's formation as a lawful exercise under the Labor Act 2003 (Act 651) and Ghana's ratified International Labor Organization conventions on freedom of association. "The formation of the National Informal Waste Worker Union is therefore a lawful exercise of constitutional and statutory underpinnings, and Government fully recognizes this important development," he said, pledging government commitment to safe workplaces, social dialogue, and inclusive employment for the sector.

Speaking on behalf of GAYO, Richard Matey said the launch reflects years of organizing and relationship-building. "Recognition requires organization. Organization requires representation. Representation requires partnerships. That understanding shaped the journey that has brought us here today," he said, adding that inclusion for the sector is an ongoing process that will continue with legal recognition, municipal integration, and expanded market access.

Government and GAYO both described the launch as a starting point rather than an endpoint. Priorities going forward include strengthening the union's institutional capacity, expanding partnerships with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), improving access to social protection and occupational health services, and integrating waste workers more fully into Ghana's circular economy and Extended Producer Responsibility systems.

The initiative has been supported by funding partners including the UMI Fund, The Earthshot Prize, Global Methane Hub, and the Clean Air Fund, alongside technical and institutional partners such as Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), the Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership (Ghana NPAP), the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, People's Dialogue, Impact Footprint Africa, IESS Legon, Green Growth Africa, Work First Mile, CONIWAS, and a wide network of government institutions, recycling companies, and civil society organizations.