INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY IN GHANA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC: A FOCUS ON THE TRADES UNION CONGRESS (TUC)

Abstract

The discourse on industrial democracy is nuanced. Deploying the political democracy and citizenship concept, the paper sought to examine the degree of industrial democracy, how industrial democracy manifests and the challenges to industrial democracy in Ghana. The article used the qualitative approach to research and gathered data from both the primary and secondary sources. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The article found that legal and institutional regimes allowed industrial democracy to flourish through representation on statutory committees, boards and commissions as well as participation on management boards at the national, industry and enterprise levels.  Institutional weakness, large informal economy sector, perceived partisanship of organized labor, absence of internal democracy and employer reluctance for unionization were the banes to industrial democracy in Ghana. Effective education, institutional resourcing, robust internal conflict resolution mechanisms are proffered as recommendations to strengthen industrial democracy in Ghana. The study does not only contribute to the dynamics propelling industrial democracy in Ghana but also how industrial democracy manifests as well as the factors that inhibit industrial democracy practice in Ghana and the world at large.

Keywords: industrial democracy; industrial relations; Trades Union Congress; Ghana; Fourth Republic

DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/83-06

Publication date: July 31^st 2024