The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has renewed its stance against the increasing introduction of contract jobs saying the situation poses a threat to workers.
According to the Organised Labour, the rampant conversion of permanent employment to short-term contract jobs was a disadvantage to workers whose job security and benefits could not be guaranteed.
In an interaction with ADR Daily on the implications of contract jobs, Mr Eric Amoadu-Boateng, Deputy Head of the Organising Department of TUC said that the surge in contract jobs by employers is creating welfare challenges for workers.
“Employers would take on a worker for a year then at the end of the year the employer would renew the contract. This often goes on for years.
“So you can have an accountant or a head of a department who has been working in a company for over 10 years, with his or her contract being renewed year after year. This is what the TUC wishes to put an end to,” he added.
He said although contract employment provides some benefits to an organisation, employers need to strike a balance for the benefit of workers.
Once an employer finds a worker to be competent after the first contract period, that worker, he suggested, should be taken on permanently instead of having the contract renewed.
According to the TUC, contract workers do not enjoy benefits that permanent workers enjoy since short-term contract workers are often not offered ordinary entitlements as vacation pay, benefits, training allowances, and pension contributions made by the employer.
There is also no severance pay offered at the end of the contract, unless it is negotiated for in terms of employment.
Mr Amoadu-Boateng reminded employers that contract jobs also pose as a threat to productivity since unsecured or aggrieved contract would not motivate the worker to give off their best.
“With the security that permanent employment offers, workers can work actively to increase productivity levels”, he added.
By Fred Gadese-Mensah/adrdaily.com
