Accra, May 5, GNA- A National Labour Commission has been established under the new Labour Law, to provide a medium to consider and adjudicate industrial and labour disputes, using Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms rather than Labour Courts.

Mr Yaw Barima, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment, said the Commission would have six members and a Chairman.

Two members each would be appointed the Tripartite Committee made up of Government, organised labour and the Ghana Employers' Association, while the President appoints the Chairman on the recommendation of Organised Labour and the Ghana Employers Association.

Mr Barima stated the composition of the members in Accra, on Tuesday, when he launched an-82-page book: "A Handbook of Personnel Management, Practices in Ghana Today", written by Mr Kofi Bansah Eduful, a retired Civil Servant.

Mr Barima said the Government recognised the nation's human resources as its most important asset, whose development and efficient management held the key to the nation's socio-economic development.

" It is in recognition of the crucial role of human resource development in ensuring economic advancement that the government renamed my Ministry as the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment to ensure that due attention is given to the development of the human resources of the nation with the requisite skills and knowledge to facilitate the socio-economic advancement of advancement that will fast-track the lifting of Ghana out if its current HIPC status," Mr Barima said.

He praised the author for the book, pointing out that industrial disputes could be mitigated if there were the right type of personnel managers or the right kind of approach to labour issues.

The book discusses Personnel Management, the New Labour Law, Personnel Rules and Regulations, Unionisation, Human Resource Planning and Development.

The Author, Mr Eduful, now Personnel Manager KGM Industries said the book was a reflection of the experience he had gained on the job, discussions with friends, and literature read.

He said it was his hope that Personnel Managers, Chief Executives, and students and people in other professions would find the book, which he said was to provide the Ghanaian experience in simple language useful. The first five copies were auctioned for 2.15 million cedis. 05 May 04