By Anthony Adongo Apubeo 

Bolgatanga, April 27, GNA – Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), a gender focused organisation, has taken steps towards improving the work environment of the informal sector to ensure gender responsiveness. 

With funding support from ActionAid Ghana, another NGO, has amended the workplace policies of some informal sector associations in the Upper East Region, aimed at promoting gender responsiveness and workplace decency. 

The amendments of the policies were developed in partnership with the informal sector associations, namely; the Ghana National Hairdressers and Beauticians Association, the Ghana Tailors and Dressmakers Association and the Ghana Cloth Weavers Association. 

The policy amendments considered among other things trainer, trainee and customer relationship, admission and graduation fees, time of closing and other financial burdens and forced labour meted out to trainees that sometime scare them away from continuing their vocations. 

Additionally, a new policy document has also been developed to address issues related to sanctions associated with the breach of any of the rules and regulations contained in the policies.  

At the launch of the policies and awareness creation session held in Bolgatanga, Ms. Fati Abigail Abdulai, Executive Director, WOM, indicated that the move was to ensure that the informal sector was properly regulated to play its crucial role of offering practical knowledge and skills needed to create sustainable jobs. 

She said this will encourage more young people, especially girls, to learn a trade and work in an environment free from gender bias and stereotypes and ensure quality and accountability, she added. 

“We have been working with this informal sector for some years and issues of harassment and how they have been treated kept coming up and that informed our decision to develop gendered policies to ensure that we were providing safe space for young women we were working with”, she said. 

She said although some modifications were made to the policies of the individual association’s policies, there were some gaps identified after a few years of implementation including lack of sanctions for breach of any rule or regulation. 

She said as part of the amendment of the policies of the associations, they developed general rules and regulations including sanctions that must be applied in all the associations involved and developed in partnership with the associations. 

As part of the new rules, a fine of GH₡500.00 has been agreed to be apply to anyone who failed to meet the closing time requirement while another GH₡500.00 has been agreed to apply to any trainer who demanded gifts from trainees. 

Mr. Jaladeen Abdulai, Upper East Regional Director, Commissioner on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said Ghana’s Labour Act had not been fully implemented in the informal sector and it was therefore good for moves to be taken to strengthen the policies of these associations to ensure good working environment. 

Mr. Abdulai believed that the amended policies would ensure uniformity, accountability and transparency before admission and during training and emphasised that it would help to motivate young people to enroll on vocational training for sustainable job creation. 

“There is also an appeal for anyone, both the trainers and trainees who disagree with the sanction to report for redress”, he said. 

Mr. Yakubu Akuka, Upper East Regional Programmes Manager, ActionAid, indicated that his outfit would continue to work with its partners to strengthen the informal sector associations to make the sector attractive to the youth. 

Ms. Veronica Kolog, Upper East Regional Secretary of the Ghana National Hairdressers and Beauticians Association, said the policies will help address the inconsistencies in their operations and foster good relationship between the trainers and trainees. 

The trainees expressed gratitude for the initiatives and called for intensified education to ensure that everybody was abreast with the provisions. 

GNA 

FAA/BM