GAWU Champions Decent Work & Sustainable Livelihoods in Ghana's Fishery Sector

The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has organised its first National Fisheries Conference to highlight fisheries as an integral part of Ghana’s agricultural sector and to address labour challenges affecting fishers and fish workers. This is an effort to strengthen worker organisation, improve labour standards and promote sustainable livelihoods in fishing communities that form part of the country’s broader agricultural economy. The conference, held in Accra on the theme, “Enhancing Sustainable Fisheries through the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work”, brought together fishers, agricultural trade union leaders, fisher associations, traditional authorities, academia, civil society organisations and development partners. The conference highlighted that the sustainability of fisheries as an agricultural activity is under threat from both environmental and labour-related challenges. At the conference last Wednesday, the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, said fishers must be recognised as agricultural workers entitled to the same rights and protections as other categories of workers. He said that the TUC, through GAWU, represented both formal and informal workers and was committed to organising fishers to strengthen their voice within the agricultural labour movement. “Fishers are agricultural workers, and they deserve the same rights, protection and representation as any other worker in Ghana’s agricultural sector,” he said. Services, support Mr Ansah explained that across the agricultural sector, farmers were encouraged to form groups and cooperatives to enable them to access extension services, credit and development programmes. He said fishers faced similar requirements from financial institutions and service providers, but often remained fragmented and informal. The conference, he explained, was therefore intended to bring fishers together to understand their rights and explore collective organisation as a pathway to improved services and protection. He explained that despite the contribution, fisheries had often received limited attention in agricultural labour policy discussions. Labour crisis Child labour emerged as a major concern, with speakers describing it as part of a broader agricultural labour challenge affecting fishing, farming and other rural livelihoods. Mr Ansah explained that poverty, informality and a lack of organisation contributed to the persistence of child labour in fishing communities. He highlighted the Child Labour Free Zone model promoted by GAWU, which focuses on community participation, education and decent work as a long-term solution. Also speaking at the conference, the Chairman of the Trades Union Congress, Andrew Tagoe, stressed that decent working conditions in agriculture, including the fisheries sector, were essential to food safety.