Union of Informal Workers inaugurated
The Union of Informal Workers Associations (UNIWA), which comprises some groups and associations in the informal sector, has been inaugurated in Accra.
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It is a member of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) and has the objective of protecting, sustaining and promoting the common interest of informal workers, as well as strengthening their bargaining power to dialogue with the government and employers.
Membership
Membership of UNIWA currently comprises the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Ghana Actors Guild (GAG), Ghana Union of Physically Disabled Workers (GUPDW), New Makola Market Traders Union and the Greater Accra Tomato Traders Association.
The rest are: Agbobloshie Chop Bar Keepers Association, the Ghana Youth Porters Association and the Ga East Traders Union.
At a news conference to inaugurate the union in Accra, the Interim General Secretary of UNIWA, Mrs Deborah Freeman, invited other informal workers groups to join the union, since it was the voice of informal workers in the country.
Discrimination
Mrs Freeman said the informal economy contributed about 40.7 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employed about 86 per cent of the workforce.
“Yet most workers in the informal economy face significant decent work deficits such as social protection, rights at work, social dialogue and collective bargaining.” she said.
She said over the years, workers in the informal sector had suffered the worst forms of abuse, discrimination, oppression, exploitation and violation in the hands of employers and blamed the situation on the inability of workers to organise and unite to curb the perpetration of such acts of illegality against them.
Mrs Freeman blamed the situation on lack of organisation among their members, lack of recognition and representation, the low degree of compliance with the labour law and the inability of government agencies to enforce and regulate activities in the informal economy.
Reversing the trend
Mrs Freeman praised the TUC and its affiliates for their efforts over the years to organise the operators in the informal sector. She said since 1996, the TUC had granted associate membership status to a number of unions in the informal economy, organisations and associations.