Accra: Mr. Francis Bibuksi, Assistant Chief Labour Officer of the Labour Department, has disclosed that language is one of the major challenges hampering communication between multinational companies and the department. Mr. Bibuksi highlighted that some owners of multinational companies established in Ghana do not understand or speak English, the official language in the country, which complicates communication efforts.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Bibuksi made these remarks during an International Labour Organisation (ILO) high-level corporate national dialogue focused on the realisation of decent work in Ghana's multinational enterprises (MNEs) held in Tema. He pointed out that particularly among Chinese companies, language barriers are prevalent, with only a few having interpreters. This situation has led many Ghanaian workers to learn Chinese to facilitate communication.
Furthermore, no official from the Labour Department speaks Chinese, presenting challenges in effectively conducting duties such as company inspections and advising employers and employees. To address this, Mr. Bibuksi mentioned that the department would recommend the Public Service Commission consider language skills when hiring new officers.
Mr. Bibuksi also discussed additional challenges faced by the department, including restricted access to company premises for inspections. Some companies have highly secured facilities, making it difficult for officers to gain entry without prior appointments. He also noted human resource challenges, with many district offices staffed by only one officer, hindering the ability to perform regular inspections.
Despite acknowledging the positive economic contributions of multinational enterprises, Mr. Bibuksi emphasized the importance of these companies adhering to local laws and ensuring a safe and respectful workplace environment. He pointed out that some companies fail to report workplace incidents as required by the Labour Act, resulting in cases where employee fatalities are not reported.
On the matter of workers' compensation, Mr. Bibuksi advised employees to actively follow up on complaints and claims, highlighting the complexity of the process, which may involve investigations and physical examinations of victims. The department reportedly handles over 1000 labour cases annually.
