Oil and gas workers urged to form unions

The General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers’ Union (GTPCWU) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress on Tuesday called on social partners in the oil and gas industry to create conditions for the unionisation of its workers.

“Nobody should attempt to prevent workers who constitute the active labour force in the country in the oil and gas industry Upstream, Midstream or Downstream from forming or joining a trade union as prescribed by the Labour Act 2003,” GTPCWU said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

The statement signed by Mr E. A. Mensah, GTPCWU General Secretary, also called on the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to monitor the activities of the employer on the rigs and the production platform to ensure that the ethics of the Decent Work Agenda are fully observed to ensure fair labour practice between workers and management.

The GTPCWU cautioned that the conditions of service of the Ghanaian labour force must not be inferior to that of the expatriates – the principle of equal pay should apply to bring about equity and fairness.

The Union advised government to put in place adequate infrastructure in the oil producing areas to facilitate the development of the country’s human resource to befit that of an oil producing country.

“Such development would ensure that the local communities appreciate and cooperate fully in that direction for a successful oil and gas industry, and to guarantee that Ghana’s oil find becomes a blessing and not a curse,” the statement said.

The GTPCWU statement also called for the inclusion of labour in the committee that is expected to manage the oil revenue, and said “the exclusion of labour from the Oil Revenue Management as contained in the draft bill is unacceptable”.

Source: GNA