The Trades Union Congress (TUC-Ghana) has praised the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for holding public hearings on whether the right to strike is protected under international labour law.
The hearings, held from October 6 to 8, 2025, at The Hague, focused on interpreting the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Convention No. 87, which guarantees freedom of association for workers.
For the TUC, this global debate could not have come at a more relevant time. Across Ghana, workers in several sectors, from health and education to industry and local government, are either on strike or threatening to strike over issues such as unpaid allowances, poor working conditions, and delayed negotiations on new wage agreements.
To many ordinary Ghanaians, the word strike often brings frustration, long queues, and interrupted services. But as TUC General Secretary Joshua Ansah explained, the right to strike is not just about walking off the job.
“It is a tool of last resort for workers to demand fairness when dialogue fails,” he said. “Every worker who earns a decent wage today owes that right to generations who stood firm through strikes and sacrifices.”
At the ICJ hearings, representatives of 18 countries and five international organisations made their case. The International Labour Organization’s Legal Adviser, Ms. Tomi Kohiyama, emphasized that the ILO’s structure which brings together governments, employers, and workers makes its conventions unique and essential for global labour relations.
She said the Court’s opinion will bring much-needed legal clarity to the question of whether the right to strike is part of the freedom of association guaranteed under Convention 87.
Speaking on behalf of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Ghana’s own Mr. Paapa Danquah, who once served as the TUC’s Legal Director, delivered a passionate argument. He reminded the Court that many rights taken for granted today, including the eight-hour workday, maternity leave, and paid holidays, were won through strikes led by courageous workers. “Not everyone has gone on strike,” he said, “but we are all beneficiaries of those who have.”
The TUC Ghana commended the ITUC’s team for defending the principle that the right to strike is part of every worker’s freedom to organize and negotiate. The union also expressed appreciation to African countries, including South Africa, Egypt, Mauritius, and Somalia, which stood firmly in support of workers’ rights before the Court. Their participation, according to the TUC, reflects Africa’s continued belief in justice, democracy, and social dialogue.
As Ghanaians face frequent labour unrest from teachers demanding improved pay to nurses calling for better working conditions, the TUC said it believes the ICJ’s opinion will help strengthen respect for workers’ rights both internationally and locally. “When workers demand fairness, they are not being disobedient; they are asking to be treated with dignity,” said one union representative.
The ICJ’s advisory opinion is expected in the coming months, and labour unions worldwide are watching closely. For Ghana’s TUC, a clear recognition of the right to strike under Convention 87 would not only affirm a long-standing principle of justice but also send a message to employers and governments everywhere: that social peace is built not by silencing workers, but by listening to them.
As Mr. Ansah summed it up, “A strike is never the goal: it is the voice of frustration when dialogue is ignored. When the right to strike is respected, it means the right to fairness, to negotiation, and ultimately, to dignity at work
