Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), a not-for-profit organization based in the Upper East Region, has collaborated with ActionAid Ghana to implement an Amended Informal Sector Associations Gendered Workplace Policies and Sanctions.
This has become necessary to address cases of abuse and discrepancies in the informal sector.
Over the years, there have been concerns about workplace harassment, unfavorable closing time, holding of passing out or graduation ceremonies deep into the night, trainees being asked to do domestic work for their trainers and some trainers making specific demands of what trainees should buy as a parting or thank you gift for their trainers.
It is therefore expected that the amended policies that come with sanctions will address these issues.
As part of the amended policies, which the various Associations have agreed and subscribed to, passing out ceremonies are expected to be held between 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Violation of this rule will attract a penalty of 500 cedis. Meanwhile, it has been indicated that passing out is optional after the graduation ceremony.
Another major rule is the Gifts and Workplace Rules. Here, trainers are not supposed to put pressure on trainees to buy certain items as a parting or thank you gift. Any trainer, who compels a trainee to buy certain items as gifts, will be fined with apprentices, who absent themselves from work without approval required to work extra hours.
Also, trainees or apprentices are not allowed to give birth more than once within the three-year training period. Anyone, who goes contrary to the rules will have their training period extended to four years instead of three.
The launch and awareness creation session on amendments (sanctions) incorporated in workplace Gendered Policies had officials of various Associations including Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers’ Association, Weavers Association, United Hairdressers’ Association, Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association, Trade Union Congress, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Widows and Orphans Movement and ActionAid Ghana all signing to make the document binding.
Speaking to Dreamz News, Fati Abigail Abdulai explained that a series of engagements were held before developing and amending the policy to include sanctions, adding that the amended policies seek to address abuse cases and ensure uniformity.
According to her, there is a need for intensified education to create awareness of the policies.
“We had engagement meetings between the two categories of people to reach a compromise, and what we have done is that we have another document that includes some sanctions for people who do not abide by it. We have things like trainers not demanding the things that trainees should get for them as thank you gifts, sanctions for not closing on time when they are holding, passing out. More importantly, we now need to do a lot of education to ensure that everybody understands what we are trying to do.” She emphasized.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Lawyer Abdulai Jalaldeen, noted that the amended policies addresses discrepancies in the informal sector and will go a long way to prevent cases of abuse and harassment.
“We realized that in the informal sector, there have been a lot of discrepancies in their various policies that they have, so in a bid to synchronize what they do, we have a uniform policy running through, we decided to come together with stakeholders to review and include sanctions. So, with this new policy, it will go a long way to address issues of harassment and abuse.” He stated.
