Employment in Ghana is governed by the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651). It sets minimums that a contract cannot go below, though a contract can be more generous.

Knowing the minimums matters, because a large share of Ghanaian employment contracts are silent, vague, or simply wrong about them.

Your contract

A contract of employment for six months or more must be in writing, within two months of starting.

If you do not have one, ask. An employer who will not put terms in writing is telling you something.

Employment contract checklist

Hours

Maximum ordinary hours: 40 hours a week, eight hours a day (section 33).

Work beyond that is overtime, and overtime is payable at a rate agreed in the contract or collective agreement. There is no statutory multiplier, which means the contract does the work — check what yours says.

You are entitled to a rest period during the working day and at least 48 consecutive hours of rest in each seven days.

Leave

Annual leave: at least 15 working days with full pay, after twelve months of continuous service (section 20).

The Act is explicit that annual leave cannot be waived or paid off while you remain employed. An employer offering to pay you instead of letting you take it is not permitted to do that.

Public holidays do not count against your annual leave. — Public holidays

Sick leave

Here is a gap worth knowing about: the Labour Act sets no minimum number of paid sick days.

Your entitlement is whatever your contract or your employer’s policy says. Many Ghanaian contracts say nothing, and practice varies from generous to non-existent.

A medical certificate from a recognised practitioner protects you from being treated as absent without leave. Beyond that, check your contract before you need to.

This is the most common surprise in Ghanaian employment

People assume sick leave works like annual leave, with a statutory minimum. It does not. Ask about it at offer stage, and get the answer in writing.

Maternity and parental leave

Maternity leave: 12 weeks with full pay (section 57), extended to 14 weeks after a caesarean section or where two or more children are born.

A nursing mother is entitled to an hour a day for nursing, and it counts as working time.

A woman cannot be dismissed because she is pregnant, absent on maternity leave, or on a related illness.

Ghana has no statutory paternity leave. Some employers offer it; the Act does not require it.

Notice

Notice depends on the type of contract (section 17):

Contract Notice
Three years or more 1 month in writing
Less than three years Two weeks in writing
Week to week Seven days

Either party may pay in lieu of notice instead of working it.

Probation

Act 651 requires only that a probationary period be “reasonable”. In practice 6 months is the common maximum, and three months is typical.

Being on probation does not remove your other statutory rights.

Termination and unfair dismissal

Dismissal is unfair if it is for reasons including:

  • Joining or being active in a trade union
  • Filing a complaint against the employer
  • Pregnancy or absence on maternity leave
  • Disability, where you can still do the job
  • Race, colour, ethnicity, sex, religion, political opinion or social status
  • Refusing to do work that is unsafe

Remedies include reinstatement, re-engagement or compensation, through the National Labour Commission.

Redundancy requires notice to the Chief Labour Officer and to the workers or their union, and redundancy pay negotiated between the parties.

Safety

Your employer must provide a safe working environment, protective equipment where needed, and training.

You have the right to remove yourself from imminent danger without penalty. That right is in the Act, and it is worth knowing you have it.

Discrimination and harassment

Discrimination in employment on grounds including gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability and political opinion is prohibited.

Sexual harassment is a valid ground for a worker to terminate the contract and treat it as unfair termination by the employer.

What you are owed on your payslip

  • SSNIT: 5.5% deducted from your basic salary, with your employer adding 13%
  • PAYE: income tax on what remains, plus allowances

Check that SSNIT contributions are actually reaching SSNIT. Deducting and not remitting happens, and you discover it decades later.

SSNIT and pensions Income tax and PAYE

If something goes wrong

  1. Raise it internally, in writing. Keep a copy and note the date.
  2. The Labour Department, under the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, handles complaints and conciliation.
  3. The National Labour Commission resolves industrial disputes and hears unfair termination claims.
  4. Your union, if you have one. Union membership is protected by the Act.
  5. Court, if the amount justifies it.

Keep everything: your contract, payslips, correspondence, and a dated note of conversations. Employment disputes are decided on documents.