Paper short abstract:

The paper examines drivers of informality and decency of working conditions of informal quarry workers in Ghana.The study found a lack of employment opportunities and low cost of entry as the drivers of informality. Indicators of working conditions were not decent per ILO's standards.

Paper long abstract:

This study explores drivers and decent working conditions among informal self-employed stone quarry workers in Ghana. The study adopted the qualitative research design from the interpretivist approach to understanding informal quarry workers from their perspectives. A sample of 33 respondents was drawn for the study comprising a labour inspector and a trade union representative, two administrators of health facilities; two children and 27 self-employed quarry workers. An in-depth interview, focus group discussion and non-participant observation were used for the data collection. The study found a lack of employment opportunities, need for livelihoods and low cost of entry as the drivers of informality. Indicators such as income, working hours, working environment, healthcare and social security were not decent per ILO's standards. Lack of strong association among workers to bargain for regulatory support and concessions from suppliers and inadequate resources for the regulator to visit these workers were identified as causes for the precarious working conditions. The results suggest a need for increased labour department capacity and the formation of association among informal workers to ensure decent working conditions.