The Management and Board members of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) held a crunch meeting with members of Organised Labour to discuss the sale of 60 percent shares in some hotels to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.
After the meeting on May 30, the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Anthony Yaw Baah said the Chairperson of the Board of SSNIT, Elizabeth Ohene, told them that SSNIT is still soliciting views before proceeding with any agreement.
Madam Elizabeth Ohene is reported to have said that “SSNIT it has not sold 60 percent shares to the Minister of Agric.”
Meanwhile Dr Yaw Baah has said that whether SSNIT is soliciting views or not, it will not allow the four hotels to be sold.
According to him, the Board Chairperson tried to convince them about the sale agreement. But the representatives of labour rejected the decision, explaining that the hotels cannot be sold to the Minister of Agric.
Dr Baah said Organised Labour informed the Board Chairperson to convene a stakeholder meeting to discuss other matters affecting SSNIT.
Dr Baah said the stakeholder meeting will address other issues.
“We have advised that they should cancel any meeting and convene a stakeholders’ forum, there are number of issues that have come up about SSNIT and let’s take them one after the other.
“More importantly we want to work together as stakeholders – Organised Labour, employers, SSNIT Board and government to ensure that their investments in SSNIT is sustainable so that whosever will retire will have no doubt in their minds,” he stated.
Dr Baah reiterated their decision to meet with President Akufo-Addo to discuss matters relating to SSNIT.
“If you recall that on May Day, we requested a meeting with the President, to give that space for us to discuss SSNIT issues, but we have received a letter from the Minister of Employment so we will meet him,” Dr Baah said.
Chairman of The Forum, Isaac Bampoe Addo, insisted that Organised Labour will not allow the Deal to go through.
“We were not convinced there are so many negatives in the transaction that we have pointed out to them, how can you go through a tender process and give specifications and along the line you change the specifications, our procurement act does not allow this. We have told them to cancel the deal,” he said.
He emphasised on the need for workers to take over the management of SSNIT pension funds.
“We will take control, this is our money. We will take control, SSNIT does not need to go ahead with the deal, whether stakeholder meeting or no stakeholder meeting, they dare not go ahead with the deal, and we have asked for a total restructure of SSNIT.”
“Why should government be appointing Chairperson of the SSNIT Board? It is not government money. It is workers money, so we are not going to allow that,” Mr Bampoe Addo stressed.
Related Article:
Sale of SSNIT hotels: Akufo-Addo directs Employment Minister to meet organised labour
By Daniel Opoku
