Organised Labour demands cancellation of SSNIT hotel shares sale to Agric Minister
Organised labour has vehemently demanded the Board of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) cancel the sale of 60% of its shares in certain hotels to the Minister of Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.
This call was made during a press conference in Accra on May 20, 2024, by Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), who declared the transaction unacceptable.
Simultaneously, organised labour has requested an urgent meeting with President Akufo-Addo and officials from SSNIT’s Investments and Operations Unit to address their concerns.
Dr. Yaw Baah urged the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, to annul the agreement.
He emphasized the collective stance of Ghanaian workers, asserting, “If the Minister of Pensions, who is also the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, fails to stop SSNIT, we workers of Ghana, who own the funds, will stop it.”
Dr. Baah criticized the sale, questioning the adherence to regulations and due diligence.
“We do not think that the regulations that guide the sale of state assets were followed. We do not think that the necessary due diligence was done. We cannot imagine that state property will be sold to a minister of state. For us, it smacks of state capture, and that should be stopped,” he stated.
Isaac Bampoe Addo, Chairman of The Forum, warned of a nationwide strike if the sale is not canceled.
“We want the government to know that these funds are not government funds. These funds are pension funds. The government should be aware that we will not allow our pension funds to be misused, and should they dare, there will be a nationwide strike,” he threatened.
He reiterated that organised labour would not permit the misuse of pensioners’ funds by the government or SSNIT, emphasizing the fiduciary responsibility to protect these assets.
