Trade unions in Ghana

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Trade unions in Ghana

Ghana’s main unions are the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL). The government body that regulates unions is the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations. About 800,000 people are union members. Unions cover about 7.5% of all workers, and roughly 48% of waged workers. Ghana is a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and has ratified important rights: Freedom of Association (June 2, 1965) and the Right to Organise (July 2, 1959). The Global Rights Index rates Ghana as 3, indicating regular violations of workers’ rights.

A brief history

Trade unions began in the 1920s. The first big action was a miners’ strike in 1919, before unions were formally organized. Early unions included the Gold and Silver Smith’s Association, the Colony and Ashanti Motor Union, and the Carpenters and Masons Union. The colonial government initially banned strikes, but in 1941 the Trade Union Ordinance legalized unions.

In 1945 the Gold Coast Trades Union Congress (TUC) was founded, with about 6,030 members, and worked closely with political movements for independence. As independence approached, the TUC played a major role in protests and labor actions. In 1958 the Industrial Relations Act strengthened the TUC by giving it legal recognition and making collective bargaining compulsory. By 1960, membership for civil servants became compulsory.

In 1965 a new act required unions to register through the TUC, a move seen by some as limiting independence. The 1966 military coup weakened the TUC and reduced its membership. The 1970s and early 1980s saw strikes and government measures to control unions. In 1972 the TUC was restored after a coup, but in 1982 the PNDC government created parallel structures to undermine it, and relations remained tense for years.

With the return to democracy in 1992, conditions for unions improved. Public-sector groups gained more negotiating channels, though their members cannot strike. In 1985 the National Consultative Forum of Ghana Labour (NFGL) was formed to coordinate talks among public-sector unions. In 1999 the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) was established as an umbrella for several unions. In 2003 Ghana created the National Labour Commission to help resolve disputes and issue bargaining certificates for collective agreements.

Today, the TUC and GFL remain the main centers for Ghanaian workers, working within the regulatory framework to negotiate and protect workers’ rights.