By Bright Kofi Agamah
The Director of Administration and Human Resources at the National Labour Commission, NLC, Dr. Bernice Welbeck, says stepping up mediation in labour and other industrial relations issues, is critical to building harmony at the workplace and the labour front.
She said the negative effects of labour unrest, make it imperative for organisations to adopt professional mediation to prevent or resolve workplace and labour disputes in an amicable manner. This helps to avoid disruption to production and service delivery.
Dr Welbeck said this at the 5th Mediation Expedition, which took place at the Aburi Gardens, in the Eastern Region.
The annual Mediation Expedition, organized by the Gamey and Gamey ADR Institute and ADR Daily, brought together professionals from diverse fields for an intensive three-day mediation skills development camping on the theme, “Shaping Sustainable Peaceful Futures Through Quality ADR Practice.”
It seeks to promote professional mediation practice in Ghana in resolving labour disputes.
Dr.Welbeck said early mediation can prevent disputes from escalating into conflicts and advancing to the National Labour Congress, thereby reducing time, costs, and potential disruptions for all parties involved. She encouraged organisations to adopt mediation to resolve labour disputes.
The programme, supported by the Consolidated Bank Ghana, Golden Exotics, Millennium Insurance, and HPW Fresh & Dry, was part of the Gamey and Gamey ADR Institute’s Professional Executive Master of ADR training. There were practical mediation simulation exercises, community engagements to create ADR awareness, and networking.
A Labour and ADR Consultant, Mr. Austin Gamey, urged Mediators to intervene to help to resolve some of the raging institutional and community disputes in the country, including the Bawku chieftaincy conflict, which he believes requires mediation.
Mr. Gamey noted that society needs mediators for sustainable peace, and therefore charged mediators to add value to their organisations and communities by intervening to prevent the escalation of disputes or helping to resolve conflicts.