Sep 8, 2017
The National Labour Commission (NLC) says it is heavily under resourced, a situation which is adversely affecting its operations.
According to the Commission, the continued grappling with inadequate funding, logistics and infrastructure is hampering its work.
Dr Mrs. Bernice A. Welbeck, Director of Administration and Human Resource of the NLC, in an interview with ADR Daily in Accra on Thursday, said the lack of resources, has resulted in a backlog of cases.
For instance, she said the Commission, which was established in 2005 still does not have regional offices to handle cases in the regions as required by the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
Currently, it has the head office in Accra and an office in Takoradi, but that is not functional due to lack of resources.
As a result, Dr Welbeck indicated that complainants across the country would “have to come all the way to Accra” to present their complaints.
The Commission receives an average of 70 cases a week, and due to the limited logistics, inadequate office space and meeting rooms, she said they are unable to handle the cases speedily.
Also, the Commission currently has a staff strength of 43, and she says the staff is outstretched as due to the huge workload and the absence of modern technical tools to ensure efficient work.
The National Labour Commission was established under Section 135 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651). The function of the Commission includes the settlement of industrial disputes through negotiations and other effective alternative methods of disputes resolution, such as mediation and arbitration.
Section 144(1) of the Labour Act requires the Commission to establish Regional and District offices with labour Committees to handle cases at the regional and district levels.
By Nii Adotey/adrdaily.com
