Episode 5 – LABOUR LAW REFORM IN GHANA
The 24-Hour Economy: Policy Ambition and Legal Architecture
5.1 Introduction
Long before the Government formally articulated the 24-hour economy as a national policy initiative, three-shift systems had already become part of Ghana’s industrial evolution in key sectors. The current policy direction, however, goes further: it seeks to extend continuous operations across a broader range of sectors and services. The Draft Labour Bill, 2025 supports this expansion by providing the legal framework necessary to regulate, protect, and sustain 24-hour operations.
This distinction is important, as the Draft Labour Bill, 2025 gives legal effect to the Government’s policy direction by providing the labour law framework for its implementation.
5.2 Shift Work and Working Time under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651)
Shift work has long been part of industrial organisation, including in Ghana, dating back to earlier phases of industrial development. The Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) therefore contained provisions regulating hours of work, overtime, rest periods, and night work, within which shift systems could and did operate.
However, while Act 651 accommodated shift work through general working-time regulation, it did not expressly recognise 24-hour operations as a distinct policy and organisational model of economic activity. Continuous operations existed in practice, but without a dedicated statutory framework addressing them as such.
5.3 Clause 303 of the Draft Labour Bill, 2025: Legal Architecture for Expansion
The Draft Labour Bill introduces a distinct provision on 24-Hour Operation under Clause 303, marking a structural shift in legislative approach.
Under clause 303, the Draft Labour Bill supports the Government’s 24-hour economy policy by providing a regulated labour law framework for the operation of 24-hour business activities across a broad range of sectors.
Clause 303(1) formally recognises the legality of 24-hour operations conducted in accordance with the Act and other relevant enactments, moving continuous operations from implied permissibility to explicit statutory recognition. Clause 303(2) links such operations to an incentive framework to be determined by the Minister through legislative instruments, while clause 303(3) empowers the Minister to issue regulations governing labour matters in 24-hour operations, including shift work, rest periods, health and safety, and night-work protections.
5.4 Supporting Flexibility Without Diluting Protection
The Draft Labour Bill’s accommodation of 24-hour operations does not amount to deregulation. Existing protections relating to maximum working hours, rest periods, overtime, and occupational health and safety remain intact.
The Bill therefore supports flexibility in work organisation while preserving the core protective standards of labour law.
5.5 From established industrial practice to coordinated national policy
What distinguishes the current reform moment is not the existence of shift work, but the scale and breadth of the Government’s policy intention. By providing legal certainty, regulatory tools, and enforceable labour protections, the Draft Labour Bill supplies the institutional foundation required to support the responsible expansion of 24-hour operations across sectors.
5.6 Implications for Employers and Workers
For employers, the Bill provides clarity and certainty for planning continuous operations, encourages structured shift systems, and aligns labour regulation with incentive-based economic expansion.
For workers, it affirms that night and shift work are regulated forms of work, reinforces entitlements to rest, compensation, and protection, and strengthens the basis for negotiating fair shift arrangements through collective bargaining.
5.8 Conclusion
By explicitly recognising 24-hour operations under Clause 303, the Draft Labour Bill modernises Ghana’s labour framework to reflect long standing industrial practice and current policy direction. In doing so, it aligns labour regulation with Government policy while preserving the protective foundations of labour law.
Kenneth K. Koomson
Member, Labour Bill Drafting Committee