72% employees suffer harassment, violence at work

By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has said 72 percent of the country’s labour force experience one form of violence or harassment at the workplace, with women constituting 53 percent and the rest being persons within the ages of 22 and 35 years.

The Union highlighted that evidence of workplace violence and harassment is prevalent in all sectors – both formal and informal, and particularly among women and vulnerable groups.

Speaking at a sensitisation workshop on the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention 190, Secretary General-TUC, Joshua Ansah, said harassment and violence at the workplace not only violate an individual’s fundamental rights but also massively hinders productivity.

Stakeholders at the workshop, which was in collaboration with the Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA), Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise and Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, underscored the need to ratify and adopt policies in line with ILO Convention 190.

Mr. Ansah explained that in order to actively work on promoting a safe and inclusive environment, reporting mechanisms and raising awareness on issues of violence and harassment must be strengthened – especially among vulnerable groups.

“The TUC remains fully committed to the cause of eliminating violence and harassment at the workplace. Together with the Ghana Employers Association, we are determined to create a working environment where workers – irrespective of gender or status – feel safe and valued,” he noted.

Director-Industrial Relations, GEA, Joseph Kingsley Amuah indicated that ILO Convention 190 offers a comprehensive framework that allows employers to prevent and respond to incidents of violence and harassment.

He maintains the Convention helps create workplaces where dignity and respect are prioritised, leading to improved productivity and stronger business performance.

“GEA has been working with the Employment and Labour Relations Ministry and other key stakeholders to domestic key provisions of the Conventions and ensure the processes for its ratification and implementation are swiftly carried out,” Mr. Amuah noted.

GEA acknowledged continuous support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise in helping Ghanaian local partners implement bipartite activities toward eliminating violence and harassment from every workplace and set the tone for ratifying Convention 190.

ILO Convention 190

Convention 190 refers to violence and harassment as a single encompassing concept that covers “a set of” unacceptable behaviours and practices or threats thereof, whether a single occurrence or repeated, that aim at, result in or are likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm – and includes gender-based violence and harassment.

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