Profile:
He is one of Africa’s foremost Labour Experts and a renowned ADR practitioner.
He remains a pillar in the development of Ghana’s Labour Industry, and in his professional career spanning over four decades, he has been instrumental in the building of the legal and operational framework for the country’s Labour Sector and Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) industry.
As a Change Agent, his contributions have led to the provision of human resource and industrial relations management, and conflict prevention and management solutions in public and private sectors of Ghana, and other African countries.
Austin Akufo Gamey, born October 26, 1949, has worked in various fields to become a household name that exudes integrity, professionalism and peace.
Currently the Chief Executive Officer of Gamey and Gamey Group, consisting of labour and ADR consultancy and training firms, Mr. Gamey has enormous experience following years of working as a Human and Industrial Relations Management, and Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) practitioner, as well as a Change Management Consultant.
Mr. Gamey is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gamey and Gamey Group and represents PULSE Institute, Africa on the Continent of Africa.
He possesses several years of consultancy and training experience gained from work activities, training, research and benchmarking programmes acquired in Ghana, U.S.A., Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Canada, Denmark and Norway, among others. Austin also studied Advanced Industrial Relations at Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone in 1976.
Contribution
After working with the government as a Deputy Minister for Employment and Social Welfare (1995-2001) and Member of Parliament for North Tongu (1992-2001), he founded Gamey and Gamey Academy of Mediation in 2002, through which many professionals in ADR and labour professionals were trained.
He has organized numerous functional training programmes in key performance enhancement areas, such as, Understanding the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR), Change Management, Organizational Appreciative Inquiry (OAI), Workplace Communication Strategy, Strategic Human Resource Planning, Strategic Implementation Solutions, Interest-Based-Negotiation, Self-Mediation, Managerial Mediation, Executive Mediation, Preventive Mediation, and Professional Mediation, among others.
He has successfully mediated countless cases and facilitated various interventions in resolving labour-management conflicts, as well as the development of Collective Agreements (CA) for many organizations.
Integrity
Austin is well known for his integrity and does not support his clients in error.
“I will not support you in error,” Mr. Gamey will usually tell his clients right from the beginning of a meeting, making it clear that all decisions and actions have to be in accordance with the laws, such as the Labour Act, ADR Act or an organization’s CA.
Currently, his interest is to support the training of a critical mass of professional ADR practitioners to efficiently advance the prospects of the ADR industry in Africa and beyond.
He remains upset with the high divorce rate in the country and blames the Pastors and Marriage Counsellors in the church for largely contributing to the menace. He believes churches and pastors need professional mediation and counselling skills to save marriages.
Professional Practice Training
Between 1997-98 Austin Gamey studied International Labour Relations and Conflict Resolution at various institutions and universities in Washington DC, New Orleans, Louisiana, South Dakota, San Francisco, California, Chicago, Illinois, New York, Calgary and Vancouver. He also had training in Professional Mediation and Interest Based Negotiation with FMCS in Washington. Austin also obtained a Certificate in Preventive and Professional Coaching in Mediation with Mediation Training Institute International, Kansas City, USA. He also studied Salary Administration and Labour Statistics at the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) in Washington, USA.
He is a Certified PULSE Professional and Consultant in ADR and Change Management.
Between 1997-1999, he underwent training in labour management at the Japan Institute of Labour in Japan. He earlier undergone training on Industrial Relations and Labour Standards at the Institute of Labour Studies, Geneva and Turin Center, Italy in 1991, after which he undertook a course in Mediation, Arbitration and Interest-Based Negotiations at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, Washington in 1996.
Professional Working Experience
Austin has several years of working experience, which includes, Commissioner, Presidential Commission on Pensions (2004 –2006), Chairman, Parliamentary Committee on Conditions of Service for Members of Parliament (1993 and 1996), Chairman of the Committee that drafted the Codified Labour Bill for Ghana (1997-1999), Executive Manager, (Industrial Relations and Communications), Mankoadze Fisheries, Tema, Ghana (1987-1992), Industrial Relations Officer, Maritime and Dockworkers Union, Tema Region (1985-1986) and President, Institute of Human Resource and Management Practitioners, Ghana, (1998 2003).
He is also the President of the Mediation Training Institute (MTI) Africa, and a member of the Grand Governing Council, Pulse Institute Incorporated, Calgary, Canada. He was an Executive Member of the Ghana Association of Certified Mediators and Arbitrators (2004-2008).
Austin, who is also a Pastor at The Token Tabernacle, has been a featured speaker at several national and international academic and business forums, including Africa’s popular HR Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Austin currently leads Gamey and Gamey Group Limited in providing Retainer Consultancy Services to various public and private organizations in Ghana.
By Nii Adotey/adrdaily.com
