The Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has announced the formation of a new committee tasked with finalising long-awaited amendments to Ghana’s Labour Act.
With a two-week deadline to submit its report, the committee is expected to provide legal updates that reflect modern working realities and policy priorities of the current government administration.
“When I got into office, I realised that the committee had not finished the work. There was a proposal for me to change the committee and appoint a new committee. Because we wanted the thing urgently, I asked them to go back and present me a report of what they have done. They have done that”
Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, Minister for Labour and Employment
Dr. Pelpuo emphasised the urgency and relevance of the legislative changes, which are designed to bring the existing Labour Act in line with Ghana’s evolving labour market dynamics and international standards.
Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, Minister for Labour and Employment
Key among the proposed changes is the introduction of paternity leave, which acknowledges the role of fathers in early childcare. The committee is also working to define legal frameworks for shift-based work to align with the government’s flagship 24-hour economy policy.
Updates will further include provisions for remote and hybrid work arrangements, which have become increasingly relevant post-pandemic.
The current effort builds on work initiated under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration. While that committee could not complete its mandate before leaving office, Dr. Pelpuo’s approach acknowledges the continuity of governance.
“Government is a continuum. Once it has been worked on by people who know the law, interpretations on the issues will only result in hearsaying that these things do not mean what our policy stands for.
Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, Minister for Labour and Employment
“But within the framework of how the labour law should look like, they are very basic areas that we don’t dispute about because we simply want it to reflect the present legal circumstance in our perspective about the policy of law”
Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, Minister for Labour and Employment
Permanence and Legal Clarity
Dr. Pelpuo explained that beyond aligning the Labour Act with policy direction, the committee has been specifically instructed to draft provisions that would stand the test of time.
“The committee has also been tasked to ensure that the amendments are captured in a manner that should not erase them or that should not warrant a second revision when a new government comes.
“They have to be permanently inscribed and serve the purpose of our advancement in the labour law of Ghana”
Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, Minister for Labour and Employment
This insistence on permanence suggests a drive to institutionalise key reforms that go beyond the tenure of any single administration, embedding policy principles within the legislative architecture of the country.
Parliament
“In about a week or two the committee will give me a comprehensive position they have, given the guidance we have given them,” he explained.
Once the committee submits its final report, the draft will be forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Department for legal refinement before Cabinet review after which it’ll be sent to parliament. Dr. Pelpuo anticipates that this process will move swiftly.
The Revised Labour Bill, 2024, as it is tentatively being called, is expected to introduce major enhancements to worker protections. These include the extension of maternity leave to between 17 and 26 weeks, the institutionalisation of paternity leave, and flexible working conditions for pregnant and lactating women.
The review process, although inherited from the previous administration, has taken on renewed urgency under the current one. With policy anchors like the 24-hour economy now demanding legal clarity for shift-based employment and family-inclusive workspaces, the amendments are seen as both overdue and critical.
By setting a firm timeline for the committee and expressing a clear commitment to legal modernisation, Dr. Pelpuo’s ministry is laying the groundwork for one of the most consequential labour reforms in recent years.
