Ghana - CLR

LABOUR RIGHTS INDEX 2022

Trade Union Indicator

The Labour Rights Index 2022 (LRI 2022) is a de-jure index covering 135 economies and structured around the working lifespan of a worker. In total, 46 questions or evaluation criteria are scored across 10 indicators. The overall score is calculated by taking the average of each indicator, with 100 being the highest possible score. The Index uses a rating system, ranging from “Total Lack of Decent Work” to “Decent Work”. The Labour Rights Index aims at an active contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, by providing necessary (complementary) insights into de jure provisions on issues covered in particular by SDG8 (Decent Jobs), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Strong Institutions). The Index is based on national labour legislation, applicable on 1 January 2022. The Index does not take into account COVID-19 related labour market measures in its scoring.

Ghana’s overall score is 59.5 out of 100. The overall score for Ghana is lower than the regional average observed across Sub-Saharan Africa (64.4). Within the Sub-Saharan Africa region, the highest score is observed for Guinea (80.5).

Ghana ratified Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) in 1965 and Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949) in 1959.

Labour Rights Index 2022

59.5/100

LRI Country Score

75/100

Trade Union Indicator

16.84 %

Trade union density rate (%)

38.4 %

Collective bargaining coverage rate (%)

1.62

SDG indicator 8.8.2

2

ITUC Global Rights Index 2022 Ratings

Question

Answer

Score

Legal Basis

Violation

Does the law allow workers to form and join unions of their own choice?

Yes

1 §21(e) & 24, Constitution of Ghana 1992; §79-95 & 131, Labour Act 2003 (Act 651)

No Violation Found

Does the law allow workers to bargain collectively with employers through their representative unions?

Yes

1 §96-115, Labour Act 2003 (Act 651)

No Violation Found

Does the law provide for the right to strike?

No

0 §162, Labour Act 2003 (Act 651); USDOS CRHRP 2021

A / D

Does the law prohibit employers from terminating employment contracts of striking workers?

Yes

1 §170, Labour Act 2003 (Act 651); USDOS CRHRP 2021

No Violation Found

Textual sources

A : National Law

National Labour Legislation

B : CEACR

CEACR: ILO Committee of Experts on Application of Conventions and Recommendations (latest report)

C : ITUC

ITUC: ITUC Global Rights Index 2022

D : USDOS

USDOS: US Department of States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2021

LRI Country Score
The Labour Rights Index has 10 indicators and 46 sub-indicators. The LRI Country score averages 10 indicators and ranges between 0 and 100. The lowest and highest scorers are Nigeria (29/100) and Belgium/Greece (96/100). https://labourrightsindex.org/

Trade Union Indicator
The trade union indicator is composed of 4 sub-indicators. Scoring is done through the binary method (0 or 1). The score ranges between 0-100.

Trade union density rate (%)
The trade union density rate conveys the number of union members who are employees as a percentage of the total number of employees in the country. For updated statistics on trade union density, please check ILOSTAT.

Collective bargaining coverage rate (%)
The collective bargaining coverage rate conveys the number of employees whose pay and/or conditions of employment are determined by one or more collective agreement(s) as a percentage of the total number of employees in the country. For updated statistics on collective bargaining coverage, please check ILOSTAT.

SDG indicator 8.8.2
SDG indicator 8.8.2 measures national compliance with fundamental labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining or FACB). It ranges from 0 to 10, with 0 being the best possible score (indicating higher levels of compliance with FACB rights) and 10 the worst (indicating lower levels of compliance with FACB rights). It is based on six ILO supervisory body textual sources and national legislation.
For an updated assessment on SDG indicator 8.8.2, please check ILOSTAT.

ITUC Global Rights Index 2022 Ratings
The ITUC Global Rights Index depicts the world’s worst countries for workers by rating 148 countries on a scale from 1 to 5+ on the degree of respect for workers’ rights. Violations are recorded each year from April to March. For a detailed description of ratings and methodology, please follow the link.

To find an ITUC affiliate in your country, please check the LINK:

Violations

No Violation

Violations

No Violation

Violations

National Labour Legislation / US Department of States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2021 (USDOS)

§162 of Labour Act 2003 (Act 651)

Essential Services162.

(1) In any industrial dispute that affects workers engaged in anessential service, the parties to the dispute shall endeavour to settlethe dispute within three days of the occurrence of the dispute bynegotiation.

(2) If after the expiration of the three days, the dispute remainsunresolved, the parties shall within twenty-four hours of the expiry ofthe three days, refer the dispute to the Commission for settlement bycompulsory arbitration under section 164.

(3) The Commission shall take immediate steps, but not later thanthree days after the dispute has been referred to it, to settle thedispute by compulsory arbitration under section 164.

USDOS CRHRP 2021

The law provides for the right to conduct legal strikes but restricts that right for workers who provide “essential services.” Workers in export-processing zones are not subject to these restrictions. The minister of employment and labor relations designated a list of essential services, which included many sectors that fell outside of the essential services definition set by the International Labor Organization (ILO). The list included services carried out by utility companies (water, electricity, etc.), ports and harbors, medical centers, and the Bank of Ghana. These workers have the right to bargain collectively. In these sectors parties to any labor disputes are required to resolve their differences within 72 hours. The right to strike may also be restricted for workers in private enterprises whose services are deemed essential to the survival of the enterprise by a union and an employer. A union may call a legal strike only if the parties fail to agree to refer the dispute to voluntary arbitration or if the dispute remains unresolved at the end of arbitration proceedings.

Violations

No Violation