The Trades Union Congress (TUC) says it will push for the prosecution of employers who engage in ‘sex for jobs’ – a practice where employers demand sexual favours from female applicants before offering them jobs.
Addressing a forum to mark International Women’s Day, the Deputy General Secretary of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, described such behaviour by employers as affront to the Industrial and Labour Act 651.
He expressed concerns about the incessant demand for sex by some employers before offering jobs to women.
Mr. Ansah noted that in many instances some women succumb to such demands, something he observed, affects their work output and also exposes them to public ridicule.
He has thus cautioned employers engaged in such behaviour to stop or risk facing action.
“I want to take this opportunity to caution all men and women themselves who arouse their colleagues, especially those who are looking for jobs….to stop that. I call it barbaric and unacceptable behaviour in this society,” Mr. Ansah warned
Chairman for the Trades Union Congress, Aba Sampson, proposed stronger regulatory framework at workplaces.
“A lot of people are dying out of these harassments; you say there are no jobs, sometimes there are jobs but some people are not getting the jobs because they don’t agree to do certain things and I thing all these things must stop,” she stated.
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General Secretary of Industrial and Commercial Workers Union, Solomon Kotei, cautioned men of God who abuse their wives to stop.
“People in the church, especially the pastors who beat their wives, they must stop. Their wives should be courageous to report them. That is why DOVVSU is there,” he advised.
President of the Ghana Journalist Association, Affail Monney, pledged the media’s strong commitment to promoting the course of women.
He assured Ghanaians that the media “…shall leverage every power and influence we wield to help achieve the objective of nonviolence against women and equality at the work place”
The Head of the gender desk at the TUC, Alberta Laryea, entreated government to lead discussions on protecting women against workplace violence at the up-coming International Labour Conference.
Meanwhile, other speakers at the forum proposed the need for the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to facilitate the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill.
This year’s international women’s day has the theme ‘gender parity, progress made so far’.
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