A five-day workshop has opened in Accra to educate and enhance the knowledge of 25 human resource practitioners drawn from private and public organisations on the Labour Law.

The training, organised by the Graduate Training Institute (GTI) Executive Education of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), would educate participants on the Labour Law Framework in Ghana, the Labour Act 651 (2003), supporting legislation, application of the Law and adjudication by the NLC.

Dr Jeff Bassey, the Executive Director of GTI in his opening remarks, said his outfit thought it prudent to educate people, particularly human resource personnel who were at the forefront of implementing organisational policies to avoid actions that would militate against the Labour Act.

He said the Labour Law existed as the intermediary or adjudication house over labour issues in the country, however, many HR managers did not seem to have adequate knowledge over these laws, hence the training.

“It is the thinking of my outfit that their enhanced knowledge on these laws will reduce the number of cases brought before the National Labour Commission (NLC),” Mr Bassey said.

Dr Bassey said there were unresolved cases at the NLC because of infractions of the law and that educating the HR personnel would reduce the number of cases at the Commission, since both employers and employees would have adequate knowledge of their rights and responsibilities.

“We must awaken the consciousness of people to the existence of the law and that is the only way they can do the right thing to forestall labour disputes,” he said.

He encouraged employers and employees to always commit to other forms of resolution such as Alternative Dispute Resolution, adding that it was always better for parties to resolve their own matters internally, than bringing in a third party.

“In instances where organisations put in measures and practice open door policy, fairness, participatory management among others, people might not easily go to the Court or the Commission for redress,” he stated.

He called on unionized workers and management to both respect their Collective Bargaining Agreement.