Participants at a stakeholders' forum organized in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, have stated that Labour Unions were losing confidence in the neutrality of the Labour Commission to adjudicate justice between the Unions and employers.

The participants expressed their disappointment at the posture of the Labour Commission in handling cases between the Labour Unions and their employers and alleged that they hardly see the Labour Commission adjudicating cases in favour of the Unions.

They, therefore, called on the Labour Commission to desist from being biased and remain neutral when handling and settling cases between Labour Unions and Employers in order to maintain the confidence in them.

The forum was organized by Action Aid Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization under "the multi-country project" titled "Zero Violence", funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK Government and being implemented in partnership with Frontline Aids and ActionAid UK.

Mr Chris Akubah, one of the Regional executives of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) stated that the Labour Unions and the general public had lost confidence in the Commission and urged the Commission to reverse the trend by working hard to restore their image and help restore public confidence in them.

"We all know that as Labour Commission, you are appointed as an Independent Body and supposed to remain neutral in the dispensation of your duties and not to be taking sides. We are highly disappointed of the action and postures often taken by the Labour Commission during settlements of cases between Labour Union and their employers", Mr Daud Abangos, another regional executive of the National Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers stressed.

Mr Abangos said "As an Independent body, you are not the appendage of one party. You must be seen as neutral in the discharge of your duties and obligations and not seen to be always supporting one side".

Mr Abdulai Salifu, the Regional Labour Officer of the Labour Commission, in response to the participants' concerns urged Labour Unions to exhaust all their grievance procedures before resorting to other means to avoid losing the battle against employers.

Mr Yakubu Akuka, the Programmes Officer of Action Aid Ghana, said his outfit was implementing the project with state institutions, particularly the Labour Department in seven regions in the country namely Upper East, Northern, Bono, Bono East, Greater Accra and Volta regions.

"The purpose of the project is to work with law/policy-makers and civil society organisations to improve protection and increase participation of women and girls (WAG) and other marginalized people especially in the informal workspace by championing existing protective legislation like ILO conventions, the Labour law and Domestic Workers Regulations 2020, strengthening enforcement mechanisms and building capacities to ensure that marginalised people are able to address, report and seek justice against violence in their communities and workplaces", the Programmes Officer stressed .

He explained that at the regional level, the project sought to train employers and employees in the informal economy on ILO conventions 183, 189 and 190, the Labour Act 2003 and the Domestic Workers Regulations 2020 and promote the unionization of informal workers.