A lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has questioned the purposefulness of the establishment of the National Labour Commission to be a mediator between labour unions and the government.

According to him, the Commission is not serving any useful purpose as far as addressing labour issues is concerned.

Prof Gyampo, who is the General Secretary of the University of Ghana chapter of UTAG, made this observation on Accra100.5FM’s morning show Ghana Yensom hosted by Kwame Obeng Sarkodie on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

Prof Gyampo noted that the Commission, over the years, has lost its relevance as a referee in labour issues.

“The Commission, in the past few years, has become a white elephant that does not have what it takes to lead,” he noted.

“The leaders at the Commission lack what it takes to lead in the labour front,” he stressed.  

He explained that before the UTAG strike, letters were written to all such agencies notifying them of the intent to strike over the negotiated conditions of service for the university teachers.

He added that when the letters were sent to the Commission, it refused to accept the letters, explaining that officers at the Commission claimed that they were on holidays as of January 10, 2022, when every institution was working in the New Year.

Prof Gyampo added that the Commission’s posture toward teachers in the country is a clear case of disdain for the teaching profession, in particular.

The university lecturers are on strike over their conditions of service.