Ghana : Unions to sustain organising, education and advocacy momentum

From 3 to 7 July, BWI, IndustriAll, and Industri Energi (IE) Norway held various evaluation and planning sessions with their trade union affiliates in Ghana. The different unions evaluated their activities from June 2022 to June 2023, and were attended by the Public Utility Workers' Union (PUWU), the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers' Union (GTPCWU), and the Timber and Woodworkers' Union (TWU), all of which are members of Ghana's Trades Union Congress (TUC). BWI, IndustriAll, and IndustriEnergi assessed the unions' progress, accomplishments, and obstacles in carrying out designated activities and projects. They also held a planning session for the period July 2023-July 2024. 

Some of the projects performed collaboratively by trade union organisations focused on training and capacity-building programmes, such as occupational health and safety (OHS), digital organising of youth and women, and a youth activist school on climate justice and just transition. TWU reported that it was able to organise 662 new members as well as train 250 OHS committee members from various companies. Wages have grown by 7 to 30 percent in many enterprises from June 2022 to June 2023, thanks to the new collective bargaining agreements negotiated and approved by TWU.

Ole-Kristian Paulsen, International adviser of IndustriEnergi, Norway, praised Ghanaian unions' achievements. He urged unions to maintain the momentum by devoting more time to the youth and women's organizing drives, social discussion on just transition and climate change, and digitalization of union management and services. Meanwhile, BWI Assistant Regional Representative for Africa and Middle East Garikanai Shoko and IndistriAll Regional Officer for Sub Saharan Africa Tendai Makanza congratulated their affiliates for performing as expected. They also expressed their gratitude to Olé Industri Energi Norway for its continuing support to the Ghanaian trade unions.