Paper short abstract:

This paper uses Coordination and Context-Appropriate Power Theory as a framework to analyse the efforts of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers’ Union in Ghana to defend the rights of workers in the oil industry.

Paper long abstract:

Employing Coordination and Context-Appropriate Power Theory as a framework, this article assesses the efforts of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers’ Union (GTPCWU) in Ghana to defend the rights of workers in the oil industry. Whether the GTPCWU has been able to employ structural, institutional and conditional power, as framed within CCAP, in defending the interests of its members, is examined. The analysis draws on first-hand knowledge of trade union policies and practices in Ghana, through interviews with a GTPCWU official, other Ghanaian trade unionists and an academic specialising in labour issues. It is argued that the structured labour regime, in which the GTPCWU is embedded make it hard for the union to employ structural, institutional and conditional forms of power effectively. Nevertheless, the agency of union officials and members is significant. This is evidenced by the success of a small number of individual union actions, indicating that the GTPCWU possesses a degree of structural power. Utilising institutional power effectively is difficult, as enforcement of labour legislation is weak and costly legal processes ensue when cases reach court. The GTPCWU struggles to use conditional power, since union member are perceived to have lucrative formal sector jobs. In an attempt to increase its agency, the GTPCWU is endeavouring to diversify its membership, particularly through recruitment campaigns to attract women and youth. The union is also prioritising finding support in addressing the retraining needs of members in the context of the transition away from fossil-based systems of energy production to renewables.