Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2022, published 111st ILC session (2023)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - Ghana (Ratification: 1959)

Article 7 of the Convention. Training of labour inspectors. The Government indicates in its report that 200 labour officers and inspectors were trained in the following areas: forced labour indicators (i.e., how to identify forced labour in communities and workplaces); job counselling, job matching, and vocational guidance; conducting labour inspections at workplaces; information technology; fair recruitment; skills anticipation; mental health counselling; child labour and human trafficking identification and rescuing. The Government adds that training is conducted in collaboration with the social partners. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on training activities for labour inspectors, including information on the frequency, length and content of the training sessions and the number of participants attending.

Article11(2). Reimbursement of travel expenses.In reply to the Committee’s previous comment concerning labour inspectors’ reimbursement of transport and travel expenses, the Government indicates that reimbursement to labour inspectors of their transport and travel expenses incurred in the course of their duties is done quarterly. These expenses are budgeted in the Government’s yearly allocation to the Departments. The Committee takes notes of this information, which addresses its previous request.

Article 12(1)(a). Right of labour inspectors to enter freely workplaces liable to inspection. In reply to the previous comment of the Committee, the Government refers to section 124(1)(b) of the Labour Act, which provides that an inspector has power to enter during the day or night any premises which the inspector has reason to believe are subject to inspection. The Committee notes that this provision reflects the text of Article 12(1)(b) which provides that inspectors shall be empowered to enter by day any premises which they have reasonable cause to believe to be liable to inspection. The Committee recalls that Article 12(1)(a) provides that labour inspectors shall be empowered to enter freely and without previous notice at any hour of the day or night any workplace liable to inspection. The Committee notes once again that section 124(1)(a) of the Labour Act limits free and unannounced visits of workplaces to “working hours”. In its comments since 2005, the Committee has asked the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that section 124(1)(a) is supplemented to extend labour inspectors’ right of free entry to workplaces to periods outside working hours and to keep the ILO informed in this regard. The Committee therefore once again requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to ensure that labour inspectors are empowered to enter freely and without previous notice at any hour of the day or night any workplace liable to inspection, even outside of working hours. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the number of announced and unannounced inspections conducted each year, and the violations detected or other results from both types of inspections.

Articles 20 and 21. Annual report of the labour inspection services. The Committee notes the Statistical Reports of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, which contain detailed information and statistics related to the activities of the Labour Department and the Department of Factories Inspectorate. The Government indicates that it will continue to ensure the publication of statistical information related to the work of labour inspectors. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government adds that it will provide the requested statistical information in its next report. The Committee requests the Government to take measures to ensure that the published statistical information includes all the subjects outlined in Article 21 of the Convention, including the number of workers employed in workplaces liable to inspection (Article 21(c)); statistics of violations and penalties imposed (Article 21(e)); and statistics of cases of occupational diseases (Article 21(g)).