Emmanuel Ansah, a former Professional and Managerial Staff Union (PMSU) Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank, has urged local unions, especially in the banking sector to consider admitting short term workers.
That, he said, has become necessary in the quest to protest and promote the welfare of all workers.
In addition, he said, such a move remains critical because of the increasing trend of companies offering more short term jobs than fixed employment.
Mr. Ansah made the call at the 3rd joint quadrennial Stanchart PMSU/UNICOF delegates’ conference in Accra at the weekend.
The conference had theme, “Unionism in the contemporary workplace: prospects and challenges”
Among other benefits, he said the admission of contract workers and short term employees into the unions would help to shore up their numbers in offering quality partnership to management.
Although the Labour Act permits all workers to form or join a union, the short term nature of some jobs creates a challenge for the unions.
But Mr. Ansah believes it has to be done for the benefit of the workers.
Mr. Ansah also urged the unions to fashion out ways of helping workers to upgrade their skills in view of the invasion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which is displaying workers.
According to him, although AI poses a threat to jobs, workers who are able to diversify and scale up their skills, cannot be displaced.
By Nii Adotey/adrdaily.com
