A study has revealed that workers are more likely to make claims for non-wage benefits accompanying a job if they are attached to functioning unions.
The presence of unions is especially crucial to women and their maternity leave benefits as they are seen to benefit significantly from union efforts to raise awareness of their maternity leave benefits.
[contextly_sidebar id=”d5gnLQVaRDxDw2s0uUGdBKVRvNuOWBz8″]This study carried out by Nkechi S. Owoo, Monica P. Lambon-Quayefio and Samuel Manu with support from the Department for International Development and the International Development Research Center, examined the determinants of non-wage benefit entitlements in the Ghanaian labour market.
The researchers had particular interest in the effects of union presence on greater coverage of legally-mandated benefits among workers in what is termed as the union ‘facilitation’ effect.
By law, as enshrined in the Labour Act (Act 651), all workers are entitled to paid holidays (Article 20), Sick Leave (Article 24) and Maternity leave for female workers (Article 57).
However not all workers report access to these. The study thus makes the argument for greater union efforts in facilitating access to these benefits.
Although workers in the services sector have the most access to non-wage benefits, marginal effects indicate a smaller scope for union presence in this sector, compared to other sectors with lower compliance, such as the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
The study also indicates that smaller firms have weaker union facilitation effects, compared to larger firms, and union impact is stronger in the formal sector as compared to the informal sector which is characterized by its largely non-unionized nature of work.
A summary of the study, which can be viewed here, identifies other important determinants of non-wage benefit entitlements among workers in Ghana including age, education and enforcement of union compliance.
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By citifmonline.com/Ghana