A STUDY of LABOUR UNREST in GHANA (1900 to 2008) Michael Nimoh a Thesis Submitted to the Department of History and Political
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A STUDY OF LABOUR UNREST IN GHANA (1900 TO 2008) Michael Nimoh A Thesis submitted to the Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, HISTORICAL STUDIES October, 2015 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own work towards the PhD and that, to the best of my knowledge, it contains no material previously published by another person nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree of the university, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. Michael Nimoh (PG1888507) _______________ _____________ Signature Date Certified by: Dr. W.J Donkoh _______________ _____________ Supervisor Signature Date Dr. (Sr.) Eugenia Amporfu _______________ ______________ Supervisor Signature Date Certified by: George M. Bob-Milliar, PhD _______________ ______________ Head of Department Signature Date (History and Political Studies) ii ABSTRACT The choice of this theme of research arose out of persistent calls by workers and civil society groups for the government to institute measures aimed at ending the labour agitations in Ghana in 2008. The study assesses labour unrest in the country from 1900. The study examines the culture of protest among workers in Ghana. It examines how worker associations were formed to protect the interest of workers in the colonial and post-colonial period. It further traces the development of trade unionism in the country. Also, it examines the role of the British Colonial authority in the development of industrial relations in the country. A major issue that was examined was the use of Industrial Relations Acts and the security forces by the British authorities to disband strikes. Ghana which before independence on 6th March 1957 was known as the Gold Coast has experienced frequent changes in government. The country has gone through periods of colonial, civilian and military rule. The colonial authorities until 1950 had succeeded in preventing trade unions from aligning themselves with the nationalist movements. The labour unions that existed at the time were largely unsuccessful as collective bargaining agents. There existed several trade unions with limited memberships. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) formed a friendship with the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) through close working relationship. This alliance which ensured the prosperity of the TUC, however, became costly to the union with the change in government. iii Although the Industrial Relations Act 1965 gave legal status to strikes, 2000 employees of the Cargo Handling Company Limited were locked out in 1968 for embarking on a strike. Also, the Progress Party (PP) regime dissolved the TUC by an Act of Parliament in 1971. It was the National Redemption Council (NRC) military regime that restored the TUC in 1972. These changes have affected the entire country‟s labour relations to date. In evaluating and analyzing the labour policies in the country, the thesis offers suggestions on how to achieve capital labour harmony to ensure economic growth. It establishes the need for workers‟ rights to be protected to ensure economic development. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE i DECLARATION ........................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... v DEDICATION ......................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... xi LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... xii ABBRREVIATION ................................................................................................ xiii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTON TO THE STUDY 1.0 Background to the study...................................................................................... 1 1.1 Statement of Problem .......................................................................................... 5 1.2 Objectives of the Study ..................................................................................... 12 1.3 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 13 1.4 The Theoretical framework ............................................................................... 15 1.5 Research proposition ......................................................................................... 23 1.6 Rationale for the Study...................................................................................... 24 1.7 Scope of the Study ............................................................................................ 25 1.8 Organisation of Study ....................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Studies in African Labour History .................................................................... 29 2.1 The splintered geography of labour movement in Ghana. ................................ 40 v 2.2 Development of capital labour relationship in Ghana. ...................................... 43 2.3 Colonial labour policies .................................................................................... 48 2.4 Labour politics .................................................................................................. 60 CHAPTER THREE WORKING CONDTIONS OF THE GHANAIAN WORKER 3.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 64 3.1 Conditions of work ............................................................................................ 64 3.2 Wages and salaries ........................................................................................... 67 3.3 Working time and work organisation ................................................................ 72 3.4 Maternity protection .......................................................................................... 77 3.5 Work and family ............................................................................................... 86 3.6 Domestic workers.............................................................................................. 88 CHAPTER FOUR DEVELOPMENT OF LABOUR MOVEMENT IN GHANA 4.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 89 4.1 Development of trade unions under the British Colonial Administrators (1900-1957) ............................................................................ 92 4.2 The Labour Department .................................................................................. 109 4.3 Obstacles to the development of trade unions................................................. 116 4.4 Effects of colonialism on Ghana‟s labour administration and workers‟ rights ............................................................................................... 120 4.5 The Trade Union Congress (TUC) .................................................................. 123 4.6 TUC and some post-colonial governments‟ relationship ................................ 129 4.6 TUC-CPP Relationship ................................................................................... 132 4.6.1 TUC-NLC Relationship ................................................................................. 138 4.7 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 140 vi CHAPTER FIVE LABOUR DISPUTES AND RESOLUTION IN GHANA 5.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 142 5.1 General Constitutional Provisions on labour disputes in Ghana. .................... 145 5.1.0 Enforcement ................................................................................................... 145 5.2 Labour Disputes .............................................................................................. 147 5.2.0 Forms of labour disputes ................................................................................. 154 5.2.1 Nature and causes of disputes ......................................................................... 156 5.2.2 Labour disputes in Ghana resulting from colonisation .................................. 158 5.3 Approaches to the resolution of labour disputes in Ghana ............................. 165 5.3.0 Dispute Resolution ........................................................................................ 170 CHAPTER SIX CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION 6.0 Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 174 6. 1 Recommendations for further studies ............................................................. 183 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 184 vii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated specially to my supervisor Dr. Wilhemina Joseline