by Paula Määttä

VII. Ghana

A. The legislative provisions for equality in pay

Ghana uses the concept of "equal pay for equal work".

Section 67 of the Labour Regulations of 1969 (LI 632) provides that "No employer shall employ a female employee for any work at a rate of pay that is less than the rate at which a male employee is employed by that employer for identical or substantially identical work".

The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992, guarantees for all persons equality before the law and freedom from discrimination. Chapter 5, section 17 of the Constitution provides that "a person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status". In particular, Chapter 5, section 24 provides that "every person ... shall receive equal pay for equal work without distinction of any kind". "Equal pay for equal work" does not cover the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and thus the legislation does not strictly comply with Convention No. 100. Ghana has no specific equal pay legislation.

Ghana ratified Convention No. 100 in 1968.