The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, has called on workers to enhance their skills and deepen their knowledge to increase productivity.
Speaking at the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity's (OATUU) 50th-anniversary celebration, Mr Baffour-Awuah stated that the use of technology was replacing the human workforce, so it was essential for workers to have modern technical skills to stay efficient in the workplace.
According to the Minister, many workers are not interested in developing new skills after recruitment, which results in lower productivity. Therefore, workers should equip themselves with good quality education and possess skills to be more productive to improve the future of work.
The Minister highlighted government's commitment to providing quality education in technology to the youth to enable them to compete in the digital world.
Mr Baffour-Awuah also stated that the government would work with the Trade Union Congress of Ghana (TUC) to support the betterment of workers in the country. He further encouraged the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to engage in discussions on the future of work in Africa at the national level and seek measures to improve the workforce in Africa.
Mr Francis Atwoli, President of OATUU, emphasised the importance of workers to effective productivity gains at workplaces. He noted that there must be workers, employers and government to ensure economic growth in a country. Mr Atwoli also stated that countries should adapt to digital transformation, know their supply chains and train workers to meet their needs.
He added that the future of workers could be achieved if they were educated to acquire modern skills and become innovative as employers and employees.
Dr Yaw Baah, Secretary General of the TUC, underscored the role of the labour workforce in ensuring that citizens do not become immigrants in search of jobs. He also emphasised the need for trade unions to fight for good work relations for upcoming generations, particularly the youth, to prevent them from seeking employment in the Western world.
Dr Baah stated that the TUC would continue to work towards ensuring that the labour force remains in Africa to develop the economy.
The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity is an independent regional union federation formed to unify trade union centres in Africa, work towards social and economic justice, protect health and safety at workplaces and affirm the independence and identity of African trade unions at all levels.
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