Ghana TUC criticizes government rejection of constitutional reform proposals

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has raised concerns regarding Ghana’s constitutional reform process, revealing that the government has rejected 54% of the recommendations submitted by the Constitution Review Committee (CRC).

TUC Secretary General Joshua Ansah stated that this rejection may result in a referendum that reflects presidential preferences rather than broad public input. He warned that the government could cherry-pick issues, potentially excluding the voices of workers and civil society groups.

Among the contested proposals is a recommendation to extend the presidential term from four to five years. While the government has accepted this change to allow more time for policy implementation, the TUC has rejected the proposal. The union argued that longer terms could force citizens to endure the consequences of misgovernance for extended periods and emphasized that tenure extensions must be paired with reforms that strengthen governance.

Additionally, while the TUC supports amending Article 70 to restrict presidential appointment powers, they noted that the current classifications for public service appointments remain unclear. The union intends to work with the Constitution Review Implementation Committee to develop a more practical classification system.